


The Past Future

by Trotm



Series: Naruto: The Story [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Sakura Visual Powers, Sakura and Hinata Battle, Tenseigan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22095697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trotm/pseuds/Trotm
Summary: “The Past Future” is the first volume of the “Naruto: The Story” saga.A mysterious young man…a past only she knows. Is it real, or just a story? It’s not like before and neither are they. A new world dawns when history collides in Naruto: The Story of the Past Future.Chapter 1 – Tell Me a StoryChapter 2 – Hamura Asks for HelpChapter 3 – The Power of Love and SacrificeChapter 4 – Black Zetsu Stands AloneChapter 5 – Sakura’s Visual PowersChapter 6 – The Kaguya of OldChapter 7 – The Ending for a BeginningChapter 8 – Memories Then and NowChapter 9 – Akara’s Revelation
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Naruto: The Story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590421
Kudos: 4





	The Past Future

**Author's Note:**

> The non-original characters and text appearing in “The Past Future” are from the Naruto Universe and are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. No infringement of this ownership is intended. All original characters and text are the property of the author known as Trotm. I deeply respect and appreciate the vision of Mr. Kishimoto which has provided me the platform to express my own creativity. I hope you enjoy the story. AU: Non-Canon

** Naruto: The Story of the Past Future **

**Chapter 1 - Tell Me a Story**

The chains around the girl’s wrists rattle as she sits up. She’s a bit disheveled and dirty but otherwise unharmed. Well, mostly…

_Ugh…my head. What happened?_

There is a single rusted lantern in the hallway. The light from its feeble orange flame filters through the bars of her cell casting eery shadows.

_It’s dark in here._

The young girl struggles to her feet nearly losing her balance before being able to steady herself against the dirt wall.

_I feel terrible. It must have been a drug._

She tries to remove her hands from the chains, the bar between them obviously meant to keep her from forming signs, but it’s no use.

_No jutsu I guess… Oh well, it’s not like mine is very good anyway. All of those genes went to Fujin apparently._

As the haze clouding her mind begins to clear she remembers a young man catching her as she collapsed. He had bumped into her only moments earlier.

_He has to be the one that did this…but why? What does he want with me? And why is it always me? Why am I the one always in trouble?_

The girl hangs her head. As hard as she tries to not be the focus of attention, that never seems to happen.

_Mom’s going to be upset. Hopefully Fujin told her and Dad that I was supposed to be right back. I’m sure he did. He may act like I’m a nuisance…like he doesn’t care…but I know he does…deep down. I suppose that’s normal for a brother._

The young man slowly emerges from the shadows and stands outside the cell bars. He looks quite normal with no distinguishing clan characteristic. Ironically, that may be the only thing that makes him unique.

“Good. You’re awake,” he says.

“Let me go! When my dad finds us, it’s going to be bad for you!”

“Your dad is not going to find us, Akara. No one will sense you here. You’re…separated, so to speak. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that yet.”

The girl looks at herself more closely. There is an odd blur around her body almost like an outline. It moves with her as if it were a part of her, or, maybe, she was a part of it.

“Who are you? Why have you brought me here?”

“My name is Shigodo. I apologize for the accommodations…and the darkness. You don’t like the dark, do you, Akara?”

The look of surprise on Akara’s face is in stark contrast to the sly grin that slowly ripples across Shigodo’s face knowing the answer to his own question.

 _How does he know that…? I’ve never liked the dark. It’s always made me feel so…alone._ “What do you want?” she asks him.

“I want you to tell me a story.”

“A story…?”

“Yes. A very specific story… I want you to tell me how you came to be.”

“What…?”

“Start with Kaguya…the battle with Kaguya.”

“What are you talking about? I never battled Kaguya. I only know the history.”

“Tell me that history. I want to know every detail…every word spoken…every action taken.”

“I don’t know any of that…I only…”

Shigodo creates what appear to be narrow chakra lightning blades from the tips of his thumb and pinkie finger on his left hand. The blades suddenly extend one to each side of Akara’s neck and embed in the wall behind her. She can smell the burning as the electricity charges through her long, auburn colored hair. If she moves, the blades will certainly slice into her throat. Chakra flows from Shigodo’s fingertips on his right hand, coalescing into the shape of a shuriken. The shuriken begins to rotate slowly.

“Come now Akara… I’ve been watching you for some time now. You seem to be as interested in the past as me. I know much about the past…but you…you have a special gift. Don’t you?”

“That’s no gift!” _How does he know so much about me…?_

“Oh, but it is. The visions…the voices…memories you should not know.”

_What! Does he know about her too? Her voice…whispering to me. No…nobody knows about her but me._

“It gives you unique insight into the past…a past that does not seem quite right…one with discontinuities…fissures that grow in your mind to a question. A question without an answer. Am I…me?”

Shigodo pauses as if in deep thought…as if that unanswered question in his mind has driven him crazy. For a moment, it seems as if the exterior façade the young man has so carefully crafted fades ever so slightly revealing a glimpse of the sinister, troubled self hidden deep beneath.

 _And I thought I might be crazy…_ thinks Akara. _This guy really is…_

“I think you can help me answer that question, Akara. Perhaps we are even looking for the same thing, you and I. Either way, I want to know what you know. Now…tell me the story in your memories.”

The shuriken moves forward toward Akara. It begins to rotate faster as it creeps ominously closer to Akara’s forehead. A few strands of hair straying over Akara’s green eyes fall to the floor as the shuriken slices through them.

“I would prefer not to disfigure such a pretty face…but I will if I must,” says Shigodo.

“No! Stop!” _I need to buy time. If he wants a story, then I’ll tell him a story._ “I’ll tell you…I’ll tell you what I know. But if we are looking for the same thing then it won’t be of any use to you.”

“I’ll be the judge of that…”

Shigodo dissolves the shuriken and withdraws the chakra blades. Akara relaxes and shakes her head, flipping the hair out of her face.

“Now…begin when Kaguya returned.”

“You mean during the Fourth Great Ninja War?”

“Yes...”

“OK… Near the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara had succeeded in casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The only people to escape it were Kakashi, Sasuke and…uh…Naruto and Sakura. They had taken shelter under Sasuke’s Susano’o which protected them from the genjutsu.”

As Akara continues to describe her memories of Kaguya’s arrival during the Fourth Great Ninja War the world fades away, and it’s as if she were watching a recording of the events…as if they were unfolding right before her eyes.

Madara is levitating high above the ground surveying the war ravaged, but now eerily quiet, new world he has finally brought to fruition. Everyone…everywhere…has been captured in the genjutsu of the Infinite Tsukoyomi and dream of their idyllic lives. They are unaware that they are really trapped in cocoons tethered to the Divine Tree as it drains their chakra. Only one vestige of resistance remains…Sasuke’s Susano’o. Strengthened by the power of Sasuke’s newly awaked Rinnegan, the Susano’o has protected the original Squad 7 -- Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi from the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

 _All that’s left…is them,_ thinks Madara.

Black Zetsu, Madara’s mysterious, midnight black accomplice, tightly covers half of Obito Uchiha’s body. An invasive and devious entity, Black Zetsu completely controls Obito having driven Obito’s consciousness from the surface into the depths of his being. Black Zetsu, too, has been watching the Susano’o closely.

_So, it really didn’t let the light through…_

The protective shielding of the Susano’o begins to unfurl and disperse. The four members of Squad 7 emerge into the open ready to continue the battle.

“Finally…” says Sasuke.

“Looks like it didn’t affect that black one,” says Naruto. “Sasuke! What do we do to release everyone from the genjutsu?!”

“Rinnegan genjutsu can be dealt with using Rinnegan, probably.”

“Which means we need Sasuke’s left eye,” says Kakashi.

“I won’t let that happen,” says Black Zetsu in a low, monotone voice. “All that’s left to do is to get rid of you guys…”

“Which I, the savior of the world will do,” says Madara as he lands in dramatic fashion in front of Black Zetsu and comes face to face with Squad 7.

“Madara!” says Naruto.

“That eye on his forehead!” says Sakura.

“Be careful,” says Sasuke. “We’re surrounded in all directions by four of his Shadows.”

“I know that!” says Naruto.

“I won’t allow you to do anything further. I just severed the Karmic Cycle of this world. I have freed humankind from their suffering, pain, and their futility.”

“But all this…is just a lie!”

“Naruto, you’re the one who’s interfering with everyone’s happiness. Just look at this world now. All fighting between shinobi has ceased. I’ve transformed hell into heaven. I’ve finally corrected Hashirama’s mistake.”

“What do you mean by the First Hokage’s ‘mistake’?” says Sakura.

“You Hidden Leaf may not want to acknowledge it, but Hashirama ultimately failed in reforming the Shinobi World. In the beginning, both Hashirama and I had the same goals. And we worked together. We tried to change the shinobi world that sent barely grown children out to war. The two of us created the shinobi village. However, that did not result in true peace. People cannot show each other their true feelings. Fear, suspicion, and resentment…never subside. My opinions were pushed aside and the shinobi world moved forward in accordance with Hashirama’s vision. And what happened because of it? The fighting between shinobi hasn’t stopped. Rather than ceasing, establishing ninja villages led to an increase in their military build-up, which resulted in battles that turned into great wars…with countless lives lost. The battling in what became the First Great Ninja War…The Second Great Ninja War…The Third Great Ninja War… The fighting never stopped. That is Hashirama’s legacy to the shinobi world. Although I admit that I triggered this Fourth Great Ninja War…”

“That’s right! Because of you, so many people died!”

“I did make a proposition to peacefully hand over the Tailed Beasts. Right now, everyone is inside the Divine Tree. Each one of them, dreaming their own idyllic dreams. They are in their own ideal worlds.”

“Is this your idea of a perfect world?” says Sasuke. “You’re just deceiving people.”

“I just want to be the savior that ends the long history of fighting amongst shinobi. Just know this… It’s all over.”

Just as Madara finishes his words, Black Zetsu suddenly thrusts his hand through Madara’s back and out his chest.

“You’re wrong, Madara,” says Black Zetsu. “You are not the savior… Nor is this the end of things…”

 _I can’t…move…,_ thinks Madara, completely caught off guard by Black Zetsu’s apparent betrayal.

“What’s going on?” says Sakura.

“How can you say that you, unlike Obito, are able to completely take advantage of others?” says Black Zetsu. “Isn’t that presumptuous to think that you alone are different? My dear Madara… You have also been inside a phantom dream… Inside a dream that I concocted.”

“Black Zetsu… What are you saying? I created you. You are my will incarnate!”

“Wrong again… My will is… Kaguya’s!”

“What the hell is going on?” says Naruto.

“They’re having a falling out, at this stage in the game?” asks Kakashi.

“No, that’s not it,” says Sasuke. “He just mentioned Kaguya.”

“Huh? Kaguya?” says Naruto.

“What is that?” asks Sakura.

“The one the Sage of Six Paths mentioned,” says Sasuke.

“No way…” says Naruto.

The people wrapped in their cocoons begin to throb. As they do their chakra is rapidly absorbed through the Divine Tree and channeled towards Madara. Madara’s body, infused with such massive amounts of chakra, begins to bulge and transform.

“What’s up with this guy?” says Naruto. “This chakra is ridiculous!”

“All of Madara’s Shadows that were surrounding us have disappeared!” says Sasuke. “Something’s about to happen!”

The ground beneath Squad 7 starts to crack and break. They quickly move to avoid being swallowed by the shifting earth.

“It’s chakra!” says Sasuke.

“Is he absorbing all the chakra that’s erupting from the ground?” says Kakashi.

“Where is all this thick potent chakra coming from?” asks Sakura.

“It’s probably from everyone trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi!” says Sasuke.

“This is really bad, Sasuke!” says Naruto. “This chakra is much stronger than Ten Tails’!”

“Stop them before they move!” says Sasuke as he produces a lightning chidori blade. “Go Naruto!”

“You mean while they’re still swelling up, right?”

As Naruto and Sasuke run toward the now bloated and bulging Madara, they are caught in what appears to be white hair emanating from the ongoing transformation.

“Like two moths flying into the flame…” says Black Zetsu. “I’m going to absorb all the chakra out of the two of you right now.”

“Damn it!” says Naruto.

Sakura runs to help her comrades, but Kakashi jumps in front of her.

“Don’t Sakura!”

“But!”

“Action without a plan is meaningless.”

_Damn it! I can’t move,_ thinks Naruto. “Sasuke If we don’t stop him now… He’ll drain everyone else’s chakra before ours, and they’ll all die!”

“Don’t worry, no one is going to die,” says Black Zetsu. “Even when Kaguya previously cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi upon the populace, she kept them alive and preserved…in order to form them into her soldiers.”

“Form?” says Sasuke. “What do you mean?!”

“You seem to be denser than Itachi. How can one use ordinary people in combat?”

“You’re not saying that---!” says Kakashi.

“She converted them into White Zetsu. What’s left of those who were under the previous Infinite Tsukuyomi… That’s what White Zetsu are. They’ve been transformed ever so slowly over time.”

“Are you saying everyone’s gonna turn into those white things?!” says Naruto.

“What are you saying, Black Zetsu?” says Madara. “The Infinite Tsukuyomi is an Uchiha Jutsu! One that brings eternal peace to the shinobi world.”

“And what do you base that on?”

“The Sage of the Six Paths…carved that into the stone tablet.”

“My dear Madara… I have been around for eons longer than you. Since finding the stone tablet left by Hagoromo, I’ve had quite some time to make revisions.”

“Did you say ‘revisions’?”

“The Infinite Tsukuyomi is not a jutsu that confers peaceful dreams. It is a jutsu to amass enormous amounts of chakra from individuals enslaved in it.”

“For what purpose?”

“You acted merely for that purpose. According to my…rather, Kaguya’s will.”

“I wouldn’t! For that?!”

“Just as you used Obito as a pawn… You too, were merely a pawn.”

Madara continues to grow larger and larger as his transformation surges on.

“Hey! Look at how big he swelled up!” says Naruto.

“He’s bloated because his body can’t tolerate the amount of chakra he absorbed!” says Sasuke. “At this rate, he’s going to explode!”

“Why?” asks Madara.

Black Zetsu’s body morphs and begins to surround and cover what’s left of Madara.

“Why did this happen--? Hashirama… Where…did I go wrong?”

Madara’s eyes, the last part of him to be engulfed by Black Zetsu, disappear into blackness. Madara is gone.

“He’s shrinking?!” says Sakura.

Obito’s body falls to the ground, released by Black Zetsu.

“Obito!” yells Kakashi.

Sakura reaches up with one hand to her head as if in pain. Her legs buckle, and she almost falls before steadying herself.

“Sakura! What’s wrong?” says Kakashi.

“It’s nothing. I’m alright.”

The transformation is complete and Kaguya emerges.

“Isn’t she the one Super Gramps talked about?” says Naruto.

“Otsutsuki…Kaguya!” says Sasuke.

Kaguya stands before Squad 7. Time seemingly having no effect on her, she appears as she did a millennium ago. The two small horns and third eye on her forehead are framed by her blueish-gray hair. That hair, the origin of Jiraiya Sensei’s abilities, now traps Sasuke and Naruto. Kaguya sees the symbols of the moon and sun on Sasuke and Naruto’s hands…the symbols of her sealing…and tosses both ninja to the ground. Sasuke fights back using chidori to slice through Kaguya’s hair but to no avail. Kaguya absorbs the jutsu and knocks him backwards. Naruto does not fare any better as Kaguya’s hair attack sends him tumbling alongside Sasuke until both slam into the cliff face behind them. As Kaguya walks toward them, she passes in front of Sakura and suddenly stops. Kaguya had little interest in her or Kakashi, but now Kaguya turns her head to stare directly at Sakura. Sakura stands there, frozen, as Kaguya seemingly peers into her soul with the white, empty eyes that were the forerunner to those of the Hyuga clan.

**Chapter 2 – Hamura Asks for Help**

_Does she know…_ wonders Sakura recalling what had just happened to her.

[Flashback]

Madara is gone as the transformation has eliminated any semblance of the man he used to be. Black Zetsu has relinquished control over Obito, and his body has fallen to the ground. Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi…none of them are moving. Everything seems to have stopped except for her. Instead of being a part of the world, it’s as if Sakura were looking at a picture of a single moment in time.

_What’s going on?_

Sakura hears a distant voice but does not see anyone.

“Sakura! She is coming. I need your help.”

An old man suddenly appears floating in front of Sakura. He has small, horn-like protrusions on his forehead. He has long grey hair and seems very frail.

“Who are you? What is this?!”

“I need to speak with you. My name is Hamura Otsutsuki.”

“My friends are in the middle of a battle. I have to help them!”

“As you can see, the battle is not progressing. Besides, the real battle will be with my mother and Black Zetsu.”

“What? That makes no sense. Let me out of this!”

“Sakura, please listen. We only have a short time. Your comrades are safe right now. I assure you…you will be there for them. I am here to help…all of us.”

Sakura looks again at the motionless members of Squad 7. Whatever is happening it’s obvious the old man initiated these events. He also seems to be the most likely way for her to return to her friends.

“You said your name was Hamura Ot…su...suki?”

“Yes…but you may be more familiar with my brother, Hagoromo…also known as the Sage of Six Paths.”

“The Sage of Six Paths? He is the creator of Ninshu! The creed that developed into our jutsu. I never knew he had a brother!”

“I have been forgotten by most over the millennium. But Hagoromo…he loved the people of Earth so much that he chose to spend his life here…with them. I loved my mother, and so chose to watch over her on the moon.”

“The moon?”

“Yes…the moon. It was formed by the seal that Hagoromo and I used on our mother.”

“You sealed your mother…?”

“I know you have many questions Sakura, but there is no time to tell you the entire story of our mother. During my lifetime with Mother I have come to know her better than anyone…even better than Hagoromo. She did many terrible things, but she did what she thought she had to do to protect us…to protect this world. And I’ve come to believe that was not all my mother’s doing. She was changed and influenced by another…by the one you call Black Zetsu.”

“Black Zetsu? He just attacked Madara.”

“Black Zetsu has been manipulating events in the shadows. And now he is helping my mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, to return.”

“Naruto and Sasuke said Black Zetsu was talking about Kaguya. They said the Sage of Six Paths warned them about her. She is our enemy! That’s why you had to seal her in the first place, isn’t it?!”

“No…Sakura. When Mother first came to this world all she wanted was peace and no more fighting. She was powerful then too, but only used those powers to defend herself. It was when she ate the fruit of the Divine Tree that things changed. That’s when Black Zetsu was born. He is a manifestation of the Divine Tree itself combined with the fear and anger in Mother’s heart at the betrayal of the love she felt for the first time in her life. Black Zetsu transformed my mother and cast a darkness over her life. But now…with these events…there is an opportunity. I believe if you can separate Black Zetsu from Mother then she will return to who she was in the beginning. That is why I am here, Sakura. That is why I need your help. You must believe me…and help me save her!”

[End of Flashback] 

_How can this person possibly have ever been good? How can he believe she will just return to how she was before?_

The irony of Sakura’s thoughts is not lost on her. After all, that is exactly what she believes about Sasuke. Kakashi watches as Kaguya and Sakura face each other.

_The way they are currently, those two can manage… But Sakura… Don’t make any careless moves right now!_

Kaguya turns her gaze away from Sakura and continues walking toward Naruto and Sasuke.

“These two…are Hagoromo and Hamura’s… No, rather they’re…Indra and Ashura’s… So, it was Hagoromo who gave them the jutsu…”

_This chakra is far greater than Madara’s…_ , thinks Sasuke. _I can’t believe such a person ever existed. Hagoromo knew she would appear, that’s why he entrusted us with—_

“What are your intentions?” asks Kakashi, boldly confronting Kaguya.

“Ninshu… No, you said shinobi…”, says Kaguya. “It’s futile to speak to you about that, when all you do is just tamper with chakra, without knowing its true meaning. This place, this land…is my precious nursery. I cannot let it be damaged further. Let us stop fighting. Here that is…”

Suddenly, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and the still unconscious Obito are all falling. Jagged cliff faces rush by them as they drop. They are falling toward what looks like a fiery red river.

_Is that lava below,_ thinks Kakashi. _Is this a genjutsu? No… This feels…different!_

Sasuke quickly summons a large hawk to save himself from falling into the lava. He rides the hawk, steering it to catch Naruto as well.

“What are you doing? Help them, not me!”

Naruto, who is more worried about Sakura, Kakashi, and Obito than himself, sees that Kakashi is hanging from one end of a scroll and has tied the other end to a kunai knife that he has embedded into the cliff face. Kakashi has even managed to save Obito by using another kunai knife to pin him by his hand to the cliff. Sakura is by herself on a cliff ledge near them.

“Way to go, Kakashi Sensei!” says Naruto.

_Obito…Sorry for being rough with you…,_ thinks Kakashi. “Sakura! Are you alright?”

“I’m OK.”

“How did you get over there?”

“Uh…I don’t really know, but I’m fine.” _What happened to me…_ she wonders. _It’s like I was pushed to this ledge_.

As Sakura begins to understand what might have happened, her headband slips off. It falls into the river below and burns up.

_It wasn’t a genjutsu, after all…_ thinks Kakashi. _Don’t tell me… She summoned a different dimension?_

“Eyes forward, Naruto,” says Sasuke. “Naruto…I’m going to be frank with you… This world will come to an end if either one of us dies. Only your Six Paths Power of the Light Style and my Six Paths Power of the Shadow Style, can seal away that being in front of us. If we don’t succeed, mankind will perish. We can’t afford to die, no matter what… When the Infinite Tsukuyomi was launched…Kakashi and Sakura just happened to be near you… That’s just how it is. You understand what that means, right?”

Sakura is visibly saddened at hearing Sasuke describe his reason for saving her and Kakashi in that manner.

“I know…” says Naruto.

Sakura’s eyes suddenly widen as her look of sadness turns to one of surprise.

“I get what you’re saying and I know that you’re right,” says Naruto. “But…this is also a situation when your body just moves on its own… Like that time on the bridge.”

Naruto is referring to when Sasuke saved him during the battle with the ice ninja. Naruto is repeating Sasuke’s own words for why he saved him.

“Well, never mind. I know that you get what I mean, Sasuke.”

Tears begin to well up in Sakura’s eyes as she too realizes Sasuke is right.

_Back then…_ thinks Sakura. _Maybe Sasuke acted subconsciously… Even so… Thank you…Naruto._

Fire begins to burn through the scroll that Kakashi used as a rope to save himself. As the fire eats through the scroll, Kakashi starts to fall once again. Naruto extends a large glowing, yellow chakra hand to catch Kakashi. Kaguya uses the opening to attack with arrows that stream from her long hair. Sasuke has remained focused on Kaguya though and is not caught off guard. He blocks the arrows with a chakra shield. As Naruto pulls Kakashi to safety a few of the arrows slip through and hit Sasuke’s hawk.

_Byakugan! Damn it! My hawk’s Chakra Points have been hit!_

The hawk falters, and Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi all begin to fall towards the fiery lava. Sakura has been watching closely and moves to help.

_They’re going to fall into the lava! Maybe I can…_

Sakura reaches out her arms toward her falling friends, but before she can help, sees that Naruto has caught everyone in three large chakra hands.

“You can levitate?” says Kakashi. _That’s right… Madara, when he was enhanced by Six Paths’ chakra, also levitated…_ ~~~~

Naruto performs a Shadow Clone Jutsu creating a single clone of himself. He hands Kakashi over to the shadow clone.

“Go to Sakura,” says Naruto to his clone. “Take care of her and Kakashi Sensei.”

“Six Paths’ Chakra…” says Kaguya. “You act triumphantly just because you have a special accoutrement. However… No matter what kind of chakra… All chakra belongs to me and me alone. Once more…I shall reunify all chakra!”

Kaguya flies toward Sasuke and Naruto. She fires a blast of blue chakra from her hands. Naruto matches it with a burst of his own yellow chakra. It’s a stalemate at first but Kaguya ultimately overpowers Naruto sending him tumbling backwards uncontrollably. While Kaguya was distracted with Naruto, Sasuke had formed his Susano’o above Kaguya. The Susano’o fires a chakra arrow at Kaguya. As the arrow shoots toward Kaguya, Sasuke transports himself and the Susano’o, swapping places with the arrow. Kaguya is unfazed and reaches up with one hand to destroy the Susano’o in a single blast that knocks Sasuke downward toward the lava. Naruto, who was still tumbling, is suddenly hit from behind. Sasuke has transported himself behind Naruto blocking him. The hit stops Naruto’s tumble. To keep from falling, Sasuke grabs onto one of Naruto’s legs.

“Even Susano’o doesn’t work,” says Sasuke.

“I forgot that you could use Teleportation-like jutsu now. You had me worried there!”

Naruto flattens one of the truthseeker orbs surrounding him into a disk for Sasuke to stand on.

“It’s like this foothold. We’ve both benefitted from Six Path’s power. But having received it is meaningless unless we seal her away.”

“Yeah!”

A dimensional rift opens behind Naruto and Sasuke. They slowly turn as if sensing danger. Kaguya is coming through the rift. She reaches out to grab them, but instead places a hand under each of their chins much as a parent would do. Naruto and Sasuke are frozen, unable to move, as tears stream down Kaguya’s face.

“My children, with whom I shared my chakra… Now…come to your mother…”

Black Zetsu oozes from each of Kaguya’s arms. He covers half of each of Naruto and Sasuke’s body much like he did with Obito’s before.

“Kaguya seems to see her two children when she looks at the two of you,” says Black Zetsu. “Isn’t that sweet? She, who was sealed away by her own children. Such a poor, pitiable mother…”

“Why’d Six Paths Super Gramps seal away his own mom?” says Naruto. “I thought he sealed away Ten Tails…”

“It appears you have the wrong idea…”

“Just who and what are you, Black Zetsu?” asks Sasuke.

“I am Kaguya’s child.”

“What?!”

“I recorded everything that happened while Mother was gone. And molded it as well. The tale of shinobi…is the tale of restoring Mother.”

“Huh?!” says Naruto. “What’re you talking about?! What do you mean?”

“Since you know Mother’s name, you must have met Hagoromo. I knew that it was possible, depending on the power of the reincarnates. As well as receiving the power to seal away Mother…”

“But we’re gonna seal away the Ten Tails!”

“It’s rare to see the reincarnates of Indra and Ashura cooperating this closely. You two know nothing. Let me tell you her tale while I suck out all of your chakra. Like I told you earlier…Mother was sealed away previously by her own children. Apparently, it was an extremely powerful seal… The jutsu transformed Ten Tails into a Catastrophic Planetary Devastation core…and turned it into the moon. But just before the seal took hold, she gave birth to me…in order that she could one day be restored.”

The memories fade back to the present as Akara begins describing the history of Kaguya.

“Kaguya came to Earth from across the sky with her purpose being to protect the Divine Tree. She looked different then with no horns, no third eye on her forehead, and normal length hair. She wanted only peace and no more fighting. She even came to love the local village leader, Tenji.”

Shigodo abruptly cuts Akara off.

“Yes! Yes! A neighboring land attacks, Tenji tries to maintain peace by executing Kaguya not realizing that she is pregnant with his children, she eats the fruit of the Divine Tree to save herself, transforms into the Rabbit Goddess, and places everyone under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.”

“You said you wanted to hear the full story…”

“Did I miss anything?”

“You left out the part where men from the neighboring land try to kidnap Kaguya first. She kills them defending herself, but in doing so breaks Tenji’s order for no violence. That’s why he was going to have her executed. Tenji himself never knew the truth about the attackers. It was a very sad love story.”

“A sad story… What would you know of sadness? You…with your perfect family…your privileged life.”

“My life is far from perfect…”

“The shadow of your parents too much to escape? Are there such high expectations of you? Fujin seems to do quite well, but you… Do they find you…disappointing?

“I’m not disappointing! At least not to my father…or to my mother…I guess. She just always wants more. She’s always pushing. Mom doesn’t understand like Dad does. She doesn’t know how hard it is to be…me.”

“Poor Akara… Your mother wants you to do well. How terrible?”

“What about you? Is your mother happy? Is she proud that you are so strong that you can kidnap teenage girls?”

“I wouldn’t know. I have no mother…at least not one like you, but that’s never stopped me. I’m not like you Akara. There are no such things as sad stories. There is only weakness. The weakness of people who let events define who they are…of those who make excuses for themselves due to a fate not within their control. No, I’m not like you. I define my own path! I determine who I am!

“If that’s true…if you set your own future regardless of anything else…then why is the past so important to you?

Shigodo is unable to suppress the sly look of contempt manifesting over his face. He is surprised by Akara’s quick turn of his own words. Perhaps she is not as weak as he thought.

“Well…let’s just say I’m curious…curious if somebody would be proud of me for holding a teenage girl’s life in my hands.”

A feeling of anxiety pierces through Akara.

“Now…I said I wanted to hear about when Kaguya returned.”

“Then do you not want to hear about how Hagoromo and Hamura rebel against Kaguya because of her Ritual of the Divine Tree that sent people to their death? Their battle with her? How Hagoromo formed the Tailed Beasts out of the Ten Tails? They were so cute when they were little!”

As she’s always done, Akara timidly casts aside the anxiety she is feeling with a bit of humor.

“That’s of no consequence to the current state of things. Continue with her battle with Sasuke and Naruto.”

“Fine…” says Akara as she once again begins remembering the story.

**Chapter 3 – The Power of Love and Sacrifice**

“You…came out of her?” says Naruto.

“Yes…but I was left, with no power at all. That is why I went deep into the darkness, and carefully planned my mother’s revival. In the meantime, Hagoromo was ignorant of all of this and raised Indra and Ashura. He even created that Ninshu, Ninja Creed nonsense. Time passed and Hagoromo died…And just before passing away, he scattered the Tailed Beasts to various parts of this world. Two things are required to revive Mother…The Divine Tree and the Infinite Tsukuyomi by means of Rinnegan. But the Rinnegan requires Hagoromo’s chakra, which he passed on to Indra and Ashura. And the Tailed Beasts, which form the Ten Tails, were scattered across the world. In order to bring Mother back, all of these things had to be collected. You can’t imagine the amount of time that was required to do this. So, first of all, in order to regain Hagoromo’s chakra, I took advantage of Indra who lost the fight over succession. I tempted Indra. And later, I selected Indra’s descendants, the Uchiha to be the cast of my tale. I revised the stupid script that Hagoromo wrote just a little bit.

“You mean…?!” says Sasuke.

“That’s right. Hagoromo’s Stone Tablet…I rewrote it to say the Infinite Tsukuyomi was the path to save the Uchiha. I must say…You Uchiha performed your parts brilliantly.”

“Why you--!”

“Indra and the Uchiha. Ashura and the Senju. I was able to set up a pattern of fighting and power seeking. A thousand years passed, but when Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were reincarnated, I came to believe…that Madara could achieve the Rinnegan. That this was the first step towards Mother’s revival. However…when Madara Uchiha lost to Hashirama Senju…I thought I had to go back to the drawing board. But fate did not turn her back on me…Madara’s corpse is like a treasure trove to a shinobi. Tobirama, who had been studying the mysteries of the Sharingan, stopped short of disposing his corpse. And instead, hid Madara deep within the mountains of the Leaf Village. But Madara was no fool…He figured that if he lost to Senju in battle, Tobirama would not get rid of his body. So, he placed a jutsu on himself. You can invoke a time-delay spell in one’s eye using the Mangekyo Sharingan. Just like the way Itachi implanted the Amaterasu with a time delay in you, Sasuke. Madara had installed the Izanagi in his right eye. At the cost of his right eye, Madara rewrote reality and returned to life. He then passed off a shadow clone as his corpse. He vomited the flesh he bit off of Hashirama, and grafted it on his wound. After that, Madara awakened his Rinnegan…and summoned the Gedo Statue. He then cultured Hashirama’s flesh using the Gedo Statue, in an attempt to prolong his life further. Those goblins, the White Zetsu, seemed to be an incidental by-product of that. But they were actually the people put under the last Infinite Tsukuyomi, whom I extracted from the statue. I just made it look that way. ‘Two polar opposites operating together gives rise to all things in this universe.’ Just as it was inscribed in the Stone Tablet, Madara solidified his attachment to Hashirama. I began formulating a plan…to collect the Tailed Beasts by making it look like I was born out of Madara, and to also manipulate Obito. I formed the Akatsuki and steered them towards war. In order to increase battle strength, I deliberately let Kabuto discover Madara’s corpse…And in addition I guided him to use Madara’s corpse as a bargaining chip, and made Obito cooperate. This war went exactly as I planned. The Infinite Tsukuyomi was launched…And by amassing a large amount of the human chakra that had been scattered…Mother was restored. My role has come to an end. You shall return with me to the almighty god that is Mother.

“You two…you two aren’t the entirety of shinobi history!” yells Naruto.

Naruto rips Black Zetsu off his body.

“Besides…moms are supposed to be happy about their kids leaving the nest!”

Naruto continues, ripping Black Zetsu from Sasuke’s body.

“That’s what being a mom means!”

“Your teenage rebellion continues. Mother is the very progenitor of chakra. You brats can’t hope to accomplish anything.”

“Naruto, we need to make an opening, so we can launch the Sealing Jutsu,” says Sasuke.

“Yeah! And the only thing that will work…is that jutsu!”

“That jutsu?”

“Yeah…Sasuke, hear me out.”

“I don’t know what you’re scheming,” says Black Zetsu, “but Mother absorbs all jutsu. Your actions are meaningless.”

Naruto’s clone is with Sakura and Kakashi on the cliff ledge. Obito is there as well. They have retrieved him although he remains unconscious. Naruto’s clone tries to help Obito using Naruto’s new healing abilities since being given the Six Paths chakra.

“How is it going?” asks Kakashi.

“Looks like they’re just staring each other down,” says Sakura.

“I see… The power to forcefully drag us all into this dimension, that isn’t genjutsu…This is on a totally different scale. She’s like…a god.”

“How can you fight someone like that?”

“Are you serious?” says Sasuke.

“We won’t know unless we try. I’ve been secretly practicing this jutsu even more than the Rasengan, ya know?! It’s worth giving it a shot, right?”

“If there’s a chance it’ll create an opening… Fine. I’ll get my left eye ready. Let’s do it!”

Kaguya is wrapped in black flames as Sasuke purposely grabs her attention with his Amaterasu.

“They’re making a move!” says Sakura.

As Kaguya absorbs the black flames with no effect on her, Naruto creates dozens of clones that surround her. These clones, instead of being in the image of himself however, are all various handsome…and completely naked…men.

“That idiot!” yells Sakura. “Using a jutsu like that in this situation?! That might work on me, but there’s no way that jutsu will work on someone so god-like!”

Kaguya is stunned for a moment by Naruto’s reverse harem jutsu. While she is distracted, he lands a punch on her knocking her backwards.

“It worked?!” says a surprised Sakura.

“You may be the progenitor of chakra or whatever…” says Naruto. “But I’ll bet you’ve never seen a jutsu like this! This is the history of shinobi, ya fool!”

_The number one most unpredictable…_ thinks Kakashi. _Don’t tell me that Naruto’s Pervy Ninjutsu is going to save the world! Master Jiraiya, are you watching?!_

“Now, Naruto!” says Sasuke.

“Right!”

Naruto and Sasuke move toward each other…their dominant arms outstretched. Sasuke transports them next to Kaguya. They are about to touch her and begin the seal when suddenly they are trapped in…ice.

_It’s cold,_ thinks Naruto. _What’s going on?!_

_Ice…_ wonders Sasuke.

The world appears to have changed again. Instead of jagged cliff ledges and rivers of lava the group now finds themselves amidst ice and white, snow covered mountains.

“It changed!” says Naruto’s clone.

“This place… Did we shift dimensions again?” says Kakashi.

“Whose jutsu effects are we seeing?” asks Sakura.

“It feels the same as when we were taken to that previous lava world except one of ice this time. There’s no mistake that this is our enemy’s ability. To be able to rewrite the world in an instant and make it reality… This really is just like the genjutsu.”

Kaguya opens a dimensional rift and vanishes escaping the ice that is trapping Sasuke and Naruto. She reappears in front of them. Naruto uses his truthseeker orbs to try to smash the ice and free himself but the orbs can only move slowly. Sasuke calls upon Amaterasu again. He is able to control the black flames using them to slice through the ice freeing both him and Naruto.

“Thanks, Sasuke! Sorry the Sexy Jutsu didn’t work.”

“I never really expected that kind of jutsu would work. This time, we’re going with my strategy… Help me out.”

“Mother…” says Black Zetsu. “These two are quite annoying. Why don’t you split them up already…and take them on separately?”

Kaguya opens a dimensional rift just to the right of her and simultaneously, another behind Sasuke. She puts her hand into the rift by her, and it emerges from the rift behind Sasuke. She grabs him, and before he can react, throws him into another world…a desert world. Naruto grabs the edges of the rift and tries to keep it from closing to no avail.

“Now you won’t be able to seal Mother away. First, I’ll suck out all of your chakra!”

Kaguya opens rifts like before when she grabbed Sasuke. When she tries to grab Naruto though, he is able to jump away in time without being caught.

“You have nice reflexes. This child is fast, Mother.”

Kaguya disappears inside yet another dimensional rift.

_So, I guess I won’t be able to tell where she’s gonna strike from…_ thinks Naruto.

Suddenly the mountains begin to crumble. An avalanche of snow and ice rushes toward Naruto as he retreats to avoid from being buried.

“Is it possible that…we’re the only ones who were brought to this world?” asks Sakura.

“No,” says Naruto’s clone. “The real me is here too. But I can’t sense Sasuke.”

“Where am I?” says Obito as he begins to regain consciousness.

“Obito!”

“Is that you, Kakashi? I thought I died…”

“I healed you,” says Naruto’s clone. “But…”

“Yeah…I know.

Obito is referring to the fact that Naruto could not heal him from the loss of the Ten Tails. As a Jinchuriki that no longer has a Tailed Beast inside of him, he will eventually die.

“Your eye…Obito?” says Kakashi.

“Huh…?”

Obito’s left eye has the Mangekyo Sharingan as before, but his right eye seems to have lost its sight.

“That’s not important right now. I can make do easily with just one. What happened to Madara? Did you take him down?”

“No, things ended up a little differently.”

“I’ll explain it simply,” says Naruto’s clone. “Might as well tell you guys about the Sage of the Six Paths and Kaguya too, and that seal!”

“I need to tell you all something as well,” says Sakura. “I don’t understand how it fits into everything, but I think you need to know.”

“Take me to where the fight is,” says Obito. “We can talk on the way.”

A lonely figure walks in a desolate world. It’s Sasuke.

_Nothing seems to work…and this desert goes on endlessly. Since Kaguya has not come for me it’s probably safe to assume that Naruto has not been captured. He will not go down easily…but without the seal there is no way he can defeat Kaguya._

Naruto’s clone, Sakura, Kakashi, and Obito are running toward where the real Naruto is battling Kaguya.

“It’s hard to believe,” says Obito. “So, both your powers and Sasuke’s are necessary in order to seal away this Kaguya?”

“Yeah! But I can’t sense Sasuke at all!”

“And Sakura…you said Kaguya’s son asked for our help to save her? And that Black Zetsu is the real evil?”

“Yes. Hamura believes his mother was changed into how she is. That this is not the real her.”

“But how can we save her when we need to seal her to protect the world and end the Infinite Tsukuyomi?” asks Naruto’s clone.

“I don’t know. But I believe he can be trusted because I think he also gave me visual powers.”

“Visual Prowess?” says Kakashi.

“I think that is how I ended up on the cliff ledge instead of falling into the lava. It was like I reached for the cliff and pulled myself toward it. And later…when you were all falling…I was ready to pull you all towards me, or at least it felt like I could. I don’t know any other way to explain it.”

“That’s similar to Pain’s power!” says Naruto’s clone.

“But I don’t know how I did any of it. I just reacted instinctively. _That’s how he said it would be…that the eye would respond to my emotions._

[Flashback]

“Sakura, since you are not of the Hyuga clan I cannot lend you my chakra, but I can give you the power of my eye. The amount of chakra you maintain for your 100 Healings should be sufficient to use its abilities…at least temporarily.”

“You’re giving me your eye?!”

“Not my eye…but its power. I will transport its essence into you. Prepare yourself.”

Before Sakura really understands what is even happening, Hamura places his hand over her left eye. Her uncovered eye opens wide, and she clinches her body as if in pain. Hamura removes his hand to reveal that Sakura’s left eye is fading from a brilliant blue to its normal green color.

“Are you alright, Sakura?”

“I’m OK. It feels…different…but not so different than my other eye.”

“It will take a little time for the powers to fully manifest. You have no history of Visual Prowess in your lineage?”

“No. My clan’s prowess is in our ability to finely control chakra.”

“That will serve you well with the power of this eye.”

“The Hyuga and Uchiha train for years to use their Visual Prowess. How am I going to use the power of an eye I’ve only been given today? I don’t even know what it does.”

“Its powers resemble those of the Rinnegan that my brother awakened in himself. You will likely only be able to call upon those powers at critical times…when your emotions are high. Feelings are what unleash the power of this eye. Unlike the Sharingan of the Uchiha though, this eye develops from acts of sacrifice and feelings of love for others, not from anger and loss. It took many years coming to understand my mother to learn this. Her people focused on strength alone. Caring was not in their nature. She was different from them in that way. That difference is what I believe allowed me to unlock the power of this eye. Focus on those you care about, Sakura…be true to your feelings…and the eye will not fail you.”

Sakura glances away as a questioning look spreads across her face.

“Why do you look so troubled?”

“Why me? Why give me the power of this eye?”

“It’s obvious you care deeply for your comrades. I have confidence you will be able to use the power of the eye.”

“I do care for them…all of them…but you said be true to your feelings and…well… You said the power developed from feelings of love...”

“Yes.”

“So, what if I’m not in love? Will it still work?”

“There are many forms of love, Sakura…and you are in love.”

“Sasuke…”

“Interesting… I understand now why you are unsure.”

“What…? Why?”

“You are confused as to who you truly love?”

“I think I’m confused as to what it means to be in love…” Sakura pauses to collect her thoughts. “Do you love your mother…despite everything?”

“Yes.”

“But do you think she loves you?”

“I do not know for sure…I believe so. I believe that like any mother she would love her child. I believe much of what she did was to protect me and Hagoromo…though her actions were misguided.”

“So, you can forgive her for everything before and still love her?”

“Yes…but do not confuse forgiveness and love with ignoring her actions. It is actions after all that show us the true nature of a person’s feelings. I love Mother, but I am not blind to love.”

 _Blind to love…_ Sakura’s thoughts hang on Hamura’s words for a moment. “You watched over your mother all these years. You never gave up hope. Is that what it means to love?”

“Love is not simply defined, Sakura. To love is to live…and die…for another if necessary. To place another’s welfare above your own. The power of the eye has helped to etch that into my being. Staying with Mother…watching over her…doing this now. All is I because I love her.”

Sakura seems more confused now than ever.

“Sakura…there are no easy answers when it comes to love. Often the strongest bond is one that is found through a winding path. Your feelings obviously run deeply. You are the right person for the eye. Its power will mirror the strength of your love. You will be able to use that power…perhaps even more than I anticipated…and perhaps it will help bring you clarity.”

[End of Flashback] 

**Chapter 4 – Black Zetsu Stands Alone**

Naruto’s clone, Sakura, Kakashi, and Obito are nearing the ongoing battle with Kaguya. They see the real Naruto in the distance dodging ice projectiles as they come at him from all directions. As they approach closer, Naruto is pinned and trapped by the ice.

“Naruto!” yells Sakura.

Kaguya emerges from a dimensional rift and moves toward Naruto.

“That’s a form of Time-Space,” says Obito. “You said you suddenly stopped sensing Sasuke?”

“Yeah,” says Naruto’s clone.

“I suspect he was taken to another dimension. She emerged from a different Time-Space. It’s similar to my own Visual Prowess.”

“Can you enter it?” asks Kakashi.

“If I resonate my Kamui the next time she connects and opens a portal to another Time-Space, I’m positive I can enter it. If Sasuke is there, I can bring him back to this dimension. However…I’ll need an enormous amount of chakra to do it…since it’s not my own Time-Space. If my chakra runs out while I’m there, I’m done.”

“Then I’ll go with you,” says Naruto’s clone. “The real me won’t go down that quickly. Because I’m strong.”

“Your clone chakra isn’t enough.”

“Would it still be inadequate with my 100 Healings Chakra?”

“That would give me the bare minimum. Both of you, come with me. We don’t even know if Sasuke is in that Time-Space. But we’ll start by getting into close range with her. I promise to find Sasuke and deliver him to the real you.”

“Obito,” says Naruto’s clone, “thanks for rescuing me… And Sasuke too.”

“Don’t thank someone like me. Just keep an eye on the enemy.”

“So, no more masks, huh?”

“I’m…Kakashi’s friend, your father’s subordinate, I’m an Uchiha just like Sasuke…I am your senior who dreamt the same dream as you. I’m not going to waste time on a speech, because I’m almost out of time. But…I just ask that you let me walk in front of you…and die for you.”

Akara’s thoughts drift to her captor. She pauses for a moment and stares intently at him.

_What is it about him? I know I’ve never seen him before, but still…he seems familiar._

“Why have you stopped?” asks Shigodo.

“Oh…uh…I wasn’t sure you wanted to hear this next part. It’s at this point in the battle Hagoromo appears to the four previous Hokages…Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato…that have been brought back to life with the re-animation jutsu. He tells them about Kaguya returning. He tells them about his sons, Indra and Ashura…Indra, the gifted one that relied on his powers alone with little use for others with lesser ability, and Ashura, the one who struggled but made up for it with tenacity and had a spirit that inspired others to his cause.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want to hear how Hagoromo picked Ashura to be his successor, the battle between Indra and Ashura, how they continue to struggle against one another long after their own deaths via re-incarnates…Madara and Hashirama at first and now Sasuke and Naruto?”

“I said no.”

“I suppose it is kind of another sad story…or maybe they were all just weak…like me.”

Akara suddenly sweeps her right leg forward in a kicking motion. A burst of wind slashes outward. Shigodo uses unusual speed to move quickly to his left to dodge the brunt of the attack but not quick enough to avoid being cut on his upper arm. Before Akara can initiate another attack Shigodo uses Earth style jutsu to trap her lower legs in the cell floor.

“You continue to surprise, Akara. Impressive for your age to be able to perform a slashing wind attack with no weapon.”

Akara struggles to free her legs but is unable to move them. Shigodo eases from his defensive posture and begins to heal the cut from her attack.

“But apparently projectile blasts are still beyond your reach…which is good. If I had to stitch your mouth shut then you could not continue the story…and if you cannot tell me the story, then you no longer have value… Now… Continue!”

Akara stares sternly at Shigodo. There is a silence between them that seems to go on and on as the two are seemingly engaged in a battle of wills. Finally, Akara blinks. She shifts her gaze to the floor and begins the story again.

_Then it’s true,_ thinks Sakura. _This man can’t be saved. That’s why he intends to die…_

“Naruto! Sakura! Keep a hand on me, so we can teleport to a different Time-Space at any moment.”

Kaguya looks toward the group. She is unphased by their appearance at the battle and quickly turns her attention back to Naruto.

“She knows about us, after all,” says Naruto’s clone.

“We have to keep in mind that even if we jump into her dimension with Kamui, she’ll perceive us,” says Obito.

_Yeah, come over her_ e, thinks Naruto. _What you want is my chakra right…not them?! I’ve made it look like I’m restrained…I’ll just wait until she gets closer! Whatever jutsu I use, she’s just going to absorb it. So, what will work best on her is also…a feint and taijutsu! I can’t use a pervy move to distract her anymore. So, I gotta go back to the basics and corner her! If she tries to escape through that weird window again, I’ll enter it with her. That’s where I’ll look for Sasuke! Even now, I can sense Sasuke’s chakra clearly!_

“This is my Time-Space,” says Kaguya. “You are powerless here.”

“Are you ready, Naruto?” says Kokuo from inside Naruto. “I’m going to boost your chakra to the boiling point! Vapor Style: Unrivaled Strength!”

Naruto breaks free of the ice and fires a beam of chakra at Kaguya knocking her backwards and slamming her into an ice cliff.

“I infused chakra for you, Naruto!” says Kurama.

“Thank you, Kurama! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Naruto creates hundreds of clones that race to attack Kaguya. She repeatedly punches with large purple fists of chakra extending from her hands to destroy many of the clones, but many still remain. The clones begin to hit Kaguya one at a time and then in unison.

“Right now, this place is my Time-Space! U…zu…ma…ki! Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!”

Kaguya opens a dimensional rift to escape the onslaught from the clones.

“It opened! The real me will go!”

As Kaguya enters the rift, Naruto rushes toward the opening. After entering the new Time-Space, Black Zetsu sees a couple wisps of smoke.

_He forced his way in? Impossible…_ thinks Black Zetsu. _He disappeared. Looks like several managed to get in. The other two ran out of power and faded._ “Seems your clones didn’t have enough chakra. Are you the original Naruto?”

“So, what if I am?”

“Mother, he’s made it all the way into this Root Time-Space. It’s not good that he’s here in this place that connects directly to the other five Time-Spaces. He might be able to get to where Sasuke is, using the resonance of the dual opposite powers. Take that weird jutsu earlier, this shinobi Naruto has always been unpredictable. We ought to just…kill him right now!”

“We can’t do that. I must absorb those children’s chakra.”

“You use a huge amount of chakra whenever you change the Time-Space of the world, Mother. You need to preserve the chakra you’ve got for an emergency. It’s better if you don’t keep engaging him. If you get sealed away, all will be for naught. No doubt, you’ll lose a lot of chakra. But you don’t need his! It’s better than having our long-cherished plans turn to dust.”

“You’re right.”

Kaguya begins to grow bone spikes from her body. They protrude from her palms and from her back like giant needles.

“We can kill him with this!” says Black Zetsu. “Murderous Bone Ash!”

Kaguya opens a rift near Naruto and shoots a bone fragment through it that hits its mark. The area around the wound begins to turn to ash and spreads outward. Naruto crumbles into little more than a pile of dust.

“Now all of his clones should be gone as well!”

Kaguya opens another rift. When her and Black Zetsu return to the ice world though, they see all of Naruto’s clones still alive.

“We killed the original! So why aren’t they gone?” says Black Zetsu. “So, they were just clones back there. You fooled us.”

“You got me. I’m…the original,” says the real Naruto. _I’ve gotta fight smart and keep them busy so they don’t go back over there._

Obito and Sakura materialize out of the Kamui. They are in Kaguya’s Root Time-Space.

“Thanks to Naruto’s clone, we were able to successfully hide inside my Time-Space. But you’re the only one I can rely on now, Sakura.”

“I know! There’s a reason I put myself at the front!” _I’m the one who made Naruto suffer the most. I was always wrong, I always made mistakes. I don’t want to be wrong ever again. I don’t want to make a mistake ever again. That’s why…I’ll never retreat! Your previously ridiculous dreams no longer seem silly, Naruto. I won’t let you die! I simply won’t let you! You’re not going to die, no matter what!_

“This Time-Space should be connected to the others. We’ll open them one by one and look for Sasuke.”

Sakura engages the 100 Healings. Dark lines emanate from the diamond shaped seal on her forehead and extend like tribal markings to cover her arms and face.

“I’ll give him all the chakra I’ve got!” says Sakura.

“What an incredibly vast Time-Space… To be able to connect them in an instant. Just who is this Kaguya?!”

Obito and Sakura open a portal to the lava world.

“Isn’t that where we were before?” says Sakura.

“I can’t sense Sasuke in there! On to the next!”

They open a portal to a world like nothing they have ever seen before. The ground appears to be covered with green, pyramidal shaped objects.

“He’s not here either,” says Obito.

“You should rest a bit.”

“What about chakra?”

“Oh…I still have reserves.”

“Keep enough to get back. If worse comes to worst, and we can’t find Sasuke…”

“We’ll find him!”

“Right…next!

Obito and Sakura open the next portal. Liquid immediately begins to pour through and splashes onto Sakura’s jacket eating through the material. It’s acid. Without even thinking, Sakura stretches out her arm and not only pushes the acid away but pushes herself and Obito back away from the opening. The rift closes as Sakura hurriedly removes her jacket and tears off her shirt sleeve.

“That’s the Visual Prowess you mentioned earlier,” says Obito. “You pushed the acid away.”

“I also pushed us backwards. It seems I don’t have much control over it yet, and I wasn’t fast enough.”

There are acid burns on Sakura’s arm. 

“Are you okay,” says Obito.

“I’m fine! This is nothing.”

“You are a Medical Ninja, aren’t you? I’ll wait until you heal your wound. That place wasn’t the right one either. After we rest a little, we’ll…”

“Don’t worry about it! There’s a limit to our chakra, right?”

“Why don’t you tend to your wound? Just a little will…”

“I don’t want to waste this chance that Naruto gave us!”

Obito remembers back to how Kakashi described what makes Naruto so special.

“You want to help him if he starts to stumble, eh?”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

Sakura hangs for a moment on Obito’s words.

_I don’t know how much I can help Naruto, but I will always be there if he needs me just like he has always been there for me._

“Okay, next!” says Obito.

They open a portal to what looks like a world of nothing but desert. There is sand for as far as they can see except for a long line of footprints extending from the horizon. It’s Sasuke!

“He’s here!”

“Sasuke! Sasuke! Over here! Hurry!” yells Sakura.

“He’s so far away.”

“Maybe I can bring him closer with my new powers.”

Sakura stretches out her arm to pull Sasuke toward them. She strains to reach out to him with her powers desperately trying to grasp him.

“Can you grab him?” asks Obito.

“I…I can’t. It’s not working.”

The drain on Sakura’s chakra trying to support Obito and use her new Visual Prowess is too much. She starts to falter, and the portal begins to shrink. She regains her composure placing both hands on Obito again in an attempt to hold the portal open. It’s not enough. The portal closes.

“Sasuke! No way…”

They both suddenly realize that Sasuke is standing behind them.

“How did you do it?” asks Obito.

“It’s one of my abilities,” says Sasuke. “I can shift myself between spaces, although only over a finite distance.”

Obito collapses from the strain of opening so many portals to Kaguya’s Time-Spaces. He barely catches himself to avoid hitting the ground.

_Damn it…I can’t…_ thinks Obito. _Not until I can bring them back…_

“Hang on!” says Sakura.

_Will I…break my promise again? Rin? I was stubborn and never at ease. But you never failed to come to my rescue. There’s still something I must do._ “We’re going back, you two. Hang on to me.”

Kaguya and Naruto continue to battle. She destroys large numbers of his clones in vast swaths of punches with her purple chakra fists, but still, the sheer number of clones is difficult to overcome.

“Mother,” says Black Zetsu, “I’ve figured out something. The original Naruto has Truthseeker Orbs around him!”

Kaguya keys in to the orbs and disregards the clones to head straight for Naruto. As she does, bone spikes begin to grow from her body again.

_Those things… They cut down the Shadow Clone earlier,_ thinks Naruto.

Kaguya launches two bone spikes, one from each palm, at Naruto, but two clones jump in front, are hit, and turn to ash.

“The clones are desperately protecting that one. There’s no mistake, Mother. The one with the Truthseeker Orbs behind him is the real one!”

Even more clones come to Naruto’s defense completely surrounding him. Kaguya launches attack after attack with her bone spikes destroying more and more clones.

“It’s not over yet!” says Naruto. “There’s no way I’m gonna lose!”

The clones continue to rush in to defend Naruto. As Kaguya continues her relentless attack, Sakura, Sasuke, and Obito return to the ice world through a portal.

“Impossible! It’s Sasuke!” says Black Zetsu.

No sooner does Naruto see that Sasuke is back than Kaguya snares him with her hair and fires a bone spike at point blank range.

“Now, there’s nothing to worry about,” says Kaguya as Naruto turns to ash.

“Naruto!” yells Sakura.

The ash vanishes into smoke. That Naruto was a clone also.

“Why you! He passed the Truthseeker Orbs to a clone? We fell for something so simple, Mother!”

“Thank you, Sakura and Obito!” says Naruto.

“What? You’re okay?” says Sakura.

“Sasuke! Did you thank Sakura and Obito properly?”

“Focus on the enemy!” says Sasuke, as stoic as ever.

“Well,” says Kakashi, “Naruto was always unexpectedly cunning.”

“Mother… Since they’ve reunited, we have no other choice. We can’t afford to be stingy with our chakra.”

“I know that,” says Kaguya.

Kaguya transports them all to the unusual world with the green pyramidal shapes that Obito and Sakura had seen when looking for Sasuke. Now there, they realize it’s a high gravity world. The clones drop and vanish into wisps of smoke. Obito and the members of Squad 7 are pulled low to the ground due to the high gravity.

_I feel so heavy,_ thinks Sakura. _This terrain…is digging into my body._

“I can’t levitate!” says Naruto.

“A heavy gravity plane this time!” says Sasuke.

Kaguya is on her knees as the heavy gravity pulls on her body as well. Still, she presses her attack. Bone spikes grow from her palms, and she fires them at Naruto and Sasuke.

“Damn it! The Visual Prowess in my left eye hasn’t…”

“Dodge it, Sasuke!” says Naruto.

Naruto and Sasuke are just able to move out of the way in time to avoid being hit by the bone spikes.

“Is the heavy gravity distorting your aim, Mother?”

“I’ve now adjusted for it. I won’t miss with the next one.”

Kaguya fires another round of bone spikes at Naruto and Sasuke. This time it doesn’t look like they will be able to avoid them. Obito and Kakashi run to help Naruto and Sasuke.

“I won’t let you!” says Obito.

“There’s something that I can still do,” says Kakashi. “I can at least be a shield for them! Let me make it in time!”

As Obito and Kakashi rush forward, it’s as if Rin suddenly appears, grabbing the hands of her two former squad members. She pulls them forward just in time to protect Naruto and Sasuke.

_Thank you, Rin…_ thinks Kakashi. _Obito and I will be joining you soon. We can catch up then…together, the three of us._

_Again, you…_ thinks Obito. _Rin…_ _This time, when I get there… Let’s spend some alone time together, just you and me._

As a bone spike is about to hit Obito, he uses his Kamui to transport the one that is about to hit Kakashi.

_Kakashi would just be in the way. I’m gonna leave him here._

_This is…Kamui! Obito! You…_ thinks Kakashi as he turns to see a bone spike pierce into Obito’s abdomen.

_Kakashi… You stay here a little while longer_ , thinks Obito as he begins to turn to ash. _Don’t you rush to follow us!_

“Why? I thought we had both resolved to… Your power is still needed here! Why would you do this?”

“Never mind that. Kakashi, be wary of the enemy.” _Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura…_ thinks Obito. _This is a crucial time for them. Kakashi, you must survive and support the next generation. It’s too soon for you to die._

Naruto places his hand on Obito’s back. He uses his newfound healing powers, desperately trying to save Obito’s life.

“It’s totally useless, Naruto,” says Black Zetsu. “He’s a goner. He’ll rot away like trash and die.”

“Enough, Naruto,” says Obito. “He’s right. Don’t waste your chakra.”

“Why do you sympathize with him, Naruto? He was originally your enemy, right? Then again, he’s a traitor to us now. A loser on both sides. Hated and resented by friend and foe alike, with no one to call comrade or family… He’s alone, with nothing left. He’s lost everyone precious to him, and he can’t realize his dreams. And after being used up, he’s helpless at the end… He’s a fool, filled with nothing but mistakes…”

“You’ve done nothing but--!” says Naruto before he is interrupted.

“You’re right,” says Obito. “It’s an end worthy of the criminal that I am.”

Sasuke has been carefully biding his time, but now his Visual Prowess is back. He suddenly transports himself to beside Kaguya and attempts to strike her with chidori. To save herself, Kaguya moves them all to the Root Time-Space.

“We’ve been here before!” says Sakura.

“Naruto!” says Sasuke. “Naruto! I’ll handle the diversions this time. He’s beyond help. Come with me.”

Sasuke’s words fall on deaf ears. He can see that Naruto is not going to leave Obito’s side. He waits for a moment and then goes off alone to continue the battle with Kaguya.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” says Naruto.

“That’s enough,” says Obito as he suddenly rips his left eye from his body. “Sakura! Help me with this…quickly.”

Obito blindly extends his hand. Sakura grabs his eye and stores it in a medical vial from her equipment bag.

“Obito? What are you doing?” asks Kakashi.

“Kakashi…that eye has been more yours than mine. The Copy Ninja will live on! They need you… You are an elite, Kakashi. Your prowess has never been questioned…and now you feel as well. Feel for more than just duty to the mission…but for your comrades. I’d like to think I had a little to do with making that happen. More than this eye…that is my real gift to you...”

Obito pauses. Sensing his journey is near its end, he begins to reminisce.

“Thank you, Naruto. After fighting you, I feel like I’ve woken up. It was as if I saw my past self when I looked at you. And I regret what I am now. But for some reason, it also made me happy. As a kid, I would imagine myself as Hokage so often. That indescribable feeling of exhilaration and anxiety…I think you brought that all back for me. Imagining the village, friends, and me as the Hokage… Even after all that’s happened… Just the thought of it seems to fill up the hole in my heart. Maybe it’s because it’s the end, I find myself rambling all of a sudden. A lot more suffering likely awaits you, Naruto. But don’t ever change and hang on to your Ninja Way. You once told me that never going back on your word is your Ninja Way, right?

“Yeah…”

“Naruto… You better…become Hokage!”

With those last words, Obito crumbles into ash and is gone. Even Kaguya and Sasuke take notice as their battle comes to a lull. 

“The vermin traitor has finally died, eh?” says Black Zetsu. “He was persistent as a cockroach.”

“Don’t laugh at Obito,” says Naruto.

“Naruto…If you keep resisting, you’ll end up pitifully crumbling to ash just like him!”

Taking advantage of the opening, Kaguya begins to draw vast quantities of chakra from the surface and forms a Truthseeker Orb behind her. The orb is far larger than those of Naruto and is continuing to grow in size with the influx of chakra.

“This Root Time-Space is Mother’s exclusive domain, where she is connected to every shinobi trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi and can directly extract chakra from them! Mother has even produced a Truthseeker Orb…An Expansive Kekkei Moura Truthseeker Orb that contains each and every nature…wind, fire, earth, lightning, water, shadow, and light. It is the beginning of a new Time-Space. And you all will become its sacrifice!

“Sasuke, that thing! It’s the same sphere as the ones behind me!”

“The difference in size is too drastic! And it’s growing rapidly! In order to stop it…”

“We need to seal that Rabbit Granny away right now! Let’s do this, guys!”

Each of the Tailed Beasts give Naruto a Tailed Beast Ball with their unique powers. The ball with Kamura’s power is wielded by the real Naruto while his clones wield the ones from every other beast.

“Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Rasen-Shuriken!” yells Naruto.

Naruto and his clones launch their attack at Kaguya in unison. The Tailed Beast Rasen-Shuriken hit her all at once creating a massive explosion.

“Nice, Naruto!” says Sakura. “There’s no way they can come out of that unscathed.”

The Expansive Kekkei Moura Truthseeker Orb stops growing as Kaguya is injured and falls to the ground.

“Now’s our chance!” says Sasuke. “The sealing jutsu!”

Naruto and Sasuke both rush toward Kaguya to begin the seal when they are suddenly grabbed by black tentacles and flung to the ground. Black Zetsu, who had been attached to Kaguya since her return, emerges and stands alone beside her.

**Chapter 5 – Sakura’s Visual Powers**

“Not again!” yells Black Zetsu. “Not again will I let you fail to protect me and be left powerless! This time…as I have done for a thousand years…I will do things myself!”

Black Zetsu begins to draw chakra from Kaguya. As he draws out her power he transforms from a featureless, shifting mass into a more humanoid physical form. Kaguya begins to revert to her former self looking much as she did when she first came to Earth.

“Using Indra and Madara…making puppets of the Uchiha and Senju…shaping this farce of a shinobi world is not my only accomplishments over these many years, Mother. I may have been born powerless, but I have learned how I could also take your power…power that is rightfully mine!”

Black Zetsu has fully transformed now. His eyes and dark color are similar to before. The large claw like structure from when he was combined with White Zetsu has returned. It’s smaller now and extends outward from each side of his upper chest over his shoulders and down his back forming two rows of menacing spikes. He turns away from the weakened Kaguya and faces Naruto and Sasuke.

“I am now your opponent. All you are will be mine…but first…”

Black Zetsu turns, looking toward Kakashi and Sakura.

“Let’s not have you two interfering.”

“Leave them alone!” says Naruto.

“Naruto. You don’t need to worry about them. I just want them to have some fun with their friends…” says Black Zetsu as he smiles and laughs menacingly. “Oh, but which ones... There are so many to choose from…all cocooned and just waiting to play.”

“What are you talking about?” says Kakashi.

“Kakashi…the Copy Ninja who can no longer copy. But still, you are elite…and a teacher. I have just the person for you. And Sakura…perhaps a special rival for you…a rival of the heart maybe?!”

“Rival of the heart? What…”

“Ha! And such denial still…wonderful! But you will not be able to avoid her.”

Two shadowy figures begin to form, emerging up out of the ground. They look as if molded from the dark, black material that forms Black Zetsu. The figures start to become better defined taking on a normal human form and…familiar…appearance.

“Captain Yamato… Hinata…?” says Naruto.

“Naruto…” says Kakashi. “This can’t be them. They’re both trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi.”

“Oh…but it is them Kakashi…or should I say…an improved version of them. All of the good things and none of the bad…at least from my perspective!” says Black Zetsu as he smiles and laughs.

“What did you do to them?” says Naruto. “I can sense them. They feel the same but also different. I feel hate in them.”

“I have access to more than just the chakra of those trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi now. I have their very essence…access to everything that makes them who they are. Original…copy…really has no meaning for these. Now…time to play!”

A massive set of claws extending from Black Zetsu suddenly erupt from the ground underneath both Naruto and Sasuke snaring the two of them. As Black Zetsu disappears underground, Naruto and Sasuke are pulled under with him.

“No!” yells Sakura.

“Naruto! Sasuke!” says Kakashi.

Kakashi and Sakura begin to run toward where Naruto and Sasuke were last standing. Before they can go very far the duplicates of Yamato and Hinata suddenly appear right in front of them having melted into the ground and then come up again.

“This is no time to worry about Naruto and Sasuke,” says Yamato. “You should worry about me. I’m your opponent Senpai.”

“And where do you think you’re going Sakura?” says Hinata. “Running after the boys again?”

“Get out of my way Hinata…or whatever you are!”

“He’s mine Sakura! I won’t let you have him…I won’t let you have Naruto!”

Hinata uses her Byakugan to knock Sakura backwards and to the ground.

“Sakura!”

“I’m OK, Kakashi,” says Sakura as she stands again.

“Sakura…that was not Hinata’s normal Byakugan. I suspect these two possess the natural abilities of the people they’re emulating…but with enhancements. This is dangerous!”

“It’s not dangerous Kakashi,” says Yamato. “It’s deadly!”

Yamato launches a wood style barrage at Kakashi. Kakashi attempts to dodge the attack, but wood wraps around one of his legs.

_So fast,_ thinks Kakashi.

Kakashi quickly uses chidori to cut through the wood freeing his leg. Yamato comes with another wood attack. Kakashi uses his chidori to cut through its center splintering it to both sides of him.

“It will not be that easy Yamato!”

Kakashi uses his earth style to sink into the ground. He comes up behind Yamato and stabs him through the back with chidori.

“This battle is over!”

Yamato laughs as he slides to the side removing himself from the impaling of Kakashi’s arm.

“Not over Senpai… Just beginning!”

The wound to Yamato’s body is quickly filled in and heals as if he was never injured. Kakashi leaps back in retreat.

_So, they emulate the abilities of those they were copied from, but their bodies are more like that of Black Zetsu. How to defeat them…? They’re almost indestructible._ “Be careful, Sakura. These duplicates will not be easy to defeat!”

“It may not be easy,” says Sakura, “but we must defeat them. Naruto and Sasuke need our help.”

Hinata laughs condescendingly, “You’re the one who needs help Sakura. You will never see Naruto again! He belongs to me!”

“What are you talking about? I won’t let you harm him…”

“I’m not going to harm him. I’m going to have Naruto with me forever in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. You though…I’ll drive you from his mind and heart. You don’t deserve him anyway. Always chasing after Sasuke…never seeing the love that is right in front of you.”

Sakura looks shocked at first with the bluntness of Hinata’s words, but her expression slowly relaxes.

“You’re wrong Hinata! I do see how much Naruto cares for me…and maybe I do not deserve that kind of love…but I care for him too…and I will never let this you have him!”

The 100 Healings marks extend over Sakura’s face and body as she prepares to fight.

“Did I ever tell you, Sakura…how much better you look with those markings from your 100 Healings? They really do make your forehead look smaller!”

“Why you!”

Sakura launches forward punching the ground causing it to crack and crumble underneath Hinata engulfing her.

“Not so tough after all…huh!”

Hinata erupts from the ground behind Sakura catching her off guard.

_What…_?

Hinata unleashes her palm technique attack on Sakura. The attack is particularly ferocious and blindingly fast…much faster than normal. Hinata’s repeated punches to Sakura’s chakra points causes her body to slump as she falls to her knees.”

“You’re right Sakura. Not tough at all!”

Hinata slowly walks around in order to be face-to-face with her rival.

“You are not meant for this Sakura. Your place is at the back. You have great strength but no real offensive abilities. That’s why you always chased Naruto from behind, isn’t it? That’s why he always had to protect you.”

Hinata is about to deliver the final blow when suddenly she is knocked backwards and tumbles along the ground. Sakura’s arm is outstretched in Hinata’s direction. Her left eye is now a pale blue color.

_How…?!_

“My place is not at the back anymore…” Hinata. “Now…I will stand by Naruto’s side.”

Hinata, infuriated by Sakura’s use of how Hinata often described herself with Naruto, begins to attack again. The two young women trade punches and kicks. Hinata attacks with her chakra tiger fists, but with Sakura’s growing power of the eye from Hamura, she is able to deflect the punches. Neither able to gain the advantage, they jump back from one another to catch their breath.

“You are different Sakura… Your eye is different. Is that the source of your newfound power?”

“My power comes from my feelings for my friends Hinata. Like they have done for me…I will do whatever is necessary to protect them…to protect Naruto…from you!”

Sakura extends her arms out to her side. She closes her eyes and focuses. Rocks cracked from the ground in her first attack begin to move. Sakura opens her eyes. The rocks on either side begin moving toward her and are then suddenly re-directed toward Hinata.

_What is this…_ thinks Hinata.

Sakura’s attack is formidable and unrelenting. As her power continues to grow, large boulders now begin to dislodge from the rubble pile. With waves of her arms, Sakura pulls the boulders toward her and then push them at Hinata. Boulder after boulder crash together, gouging deep into the ground, and crushing Hinata.

“It’s over,” says Sakura exhaustedly.

Several seconds pass before cracks begin to appear in the boulders and light starts to shine through those cracks. The number of cracks and intensity of the light grows. Hinata has morphed her body into an opening between the boulders and has begun spinning. She has produced her chakra defense shield. It is compact but grows extending outward until the boulders crash away leaving her uncovered in the center of the rubble.

_Impossible…_ thinks Sakura.

Hinata’s eyes are glowing much like those of Black Zetsu. She looks glaringly at Sakura.

“My turn!”

Hinata’s arms become more like tentacles. She begins to rotate again, but instead of producing a shield she grabs rocks from the rubble and begins hurling them toward Sakura. Sakura deflects many of the projectiles using her new powers, but she still does not have mastery of those powers. She attempts to dodge the rocks that slip passed, but the onslaught from Hinata is relentless. Sakura is hit repeatedly. She eventually crumples to the ground. Her pale blue eye changes back to its normal green. Now on her knees again, she is barely able to raise her arms to protect her face.

_I’ll put all I have into this one blast,_ thinks Kakashi. _It has to be enough…_

A large bolt of lightning races from Kakashi’s foot in jagged lines across the ground catching Yamato off guard. Yamato is enveloped in sparks but manages to call upon his water abilities forming a puddle at Kakashi’s feet. Kakashi’s lightning becomes unfocused shocking him as well before it fades, short-circuited to the ground.

“Not good enough Senpai!”

In desperation Kakashi attempts an earth tomb which is quickly countered by Yamato’s own Earth jutsu.

“It seems we are evenly matched,” says Kakashi. _Without Obito’s eye I am unable to gain the upper hand._

Kakashi is distracted at that moment seeing Sakura knocked to the ground by Hinata’s tentacle attack.

“Sakura!” he yells.

Yamato uses the opening to snare Kakashi in wooden timbers and quickly moves beside him to strengthen his grip on the former Copy Ninja.

“We are not evenly matched Senpai. I do not have pupils I care about… Let’s watch her end together. Shall we…”

Hinata is walking slowly towards Sakura.

“This is it Sakura. I will finally rid Naruto of you!”

Sakura thinks back to the early days with Squad 7 watching Sasuke and Naruto forge ahead while she fell behind. She remembers having to be protected by them.

_Who will protect me now? Is_ _this really the end? Is this all I can do? I’m sorry…Naruto._

Sakura thinks back to Naruto exclaiming that he will never stop, he will never give up, that he will always keep his word…it is his Ninja Way. That stubborn, unending drive within him…

_Where do you find the strength Naruto? How do you keep going?_

Sakura remembers the faith and confidence Naruto has always had in achieving his goals. Even his feelings for her have never wavered…despite how she always selfishly kept him at a distance…

_Feelings…love…_

Hamura’s words echo in her mind telling her to be true to her feelings, and the power of the eye will not fail her.

_I’m not who I used to be. I don’t cling to the past any longer. And I won’t be afraid…_

Sakura’s eye begins to transform. Hinata is nearly upon her now. Sakura struggles to her feet still looking down. Hinata reaches out to grab Sakura. Before she can, Sakura knocks Hinata’s arm away and thrusts her own into Hinata’s chest. Sakura raises her head and faces Hinata. Sakura’s left eye is now a bright blue with a floral pattern. It is the Tenseigan.

_What is this? Her eye…_

“This is not my end Hinata… It’s yours!”

A massive surge of energy flows through Sakura ripping Hinata’s body apart until only shreds remain. Kakashi watches in amazement.

_Sakura…such power. Is that the true extent of the Visual Prowess from Hamura?_

“Kakashi…I’ll save you…” says Sakura.

As Sakura begins walking toward Kakashi she collapses to her hands and knees…the use of her new powers wreaking havoc on her body.

“So, it wasn’t her end after all,” says Yamato. “An unexpected display of power. But apparently it takes a toll. She won’t be helping you Kakashi!”

_Everyone is pushing themselves beyond their limits and giving everything. I have to do more…I must go further…_ thinks Kakashi.

“Goodbye…Senpai.”

The wood snaring Kakashi begins to constrict and crush him when suddenly Yamato is ripped to pieces and destroyed.

“Sakura! You did it!” yells Kakashi.

“It wasn’t me Kakashi…”

“But…then…”

Kakashi turns to see Kaguya…her eyes with their own, powerful Byakugan. She is the one who destroyed Yamato.

**Chapter 6 – The Kaguya of Old**

Sasuke and Naruto are walking in what appears to be an underground cave. It’s dark except for light from the glow of Naruto. Sasuke forms a chakra blade that he uses as a torch.

“Where are we?” says Naruto. 

“The walls and shape are irregular,” says Sasuke. “This is most likely a natural occurrence. No doubt it’s a place very familiar to Black Zetsu. Be on your guard. He has the advantage here.”

“Yeah…but we have to get back to help Sakura and Kakashi. Those others…the ones that Black Zetsu made…they’re more powerful than the originals…more dangerous.”

“Sakura and Kakashi will have to fend for themselves.”

“But we need to seal Kaguya, and she’s back there too.”

“Our opponent has changed. It’s Black Zetsu that is the threat now.”

“The Sage of Six Paths never said anything about Black Zetsu!”

Naruto and Sasuke hear Black Zetsu’s voice in the darkness.

“Naruto, you should listen to Sasuke. He always was the more clever one!”

“I can’t see him,” says Sasuke. “Can you sense him?”

“Yeah…” says Naruto. “But this doesn’t seem right. It’s like he’s suddenly all around us…in every direction.”

Projectiles begin erupting from the walls of the tunnel trying to impale Naruto and Sasuke. They begin running forward through the tunnel blocking and destroying the projectiles as they go. Each time Sasuke slices one of the projectiles with his chakra blade, the severed piece is absorbed into the ground. Naruto punches at the projectiles with chakra fists but they change shape and wrap around the fist. Only by dissolving and reforming the fist is he able to cast off the attack.

“They just keep coming!” says Naruto.

“Keep going,” says Sasuke. “There’s an opening ahead.”

Sasuke and Naruto enter a wide cavern with more tunnels connecting to it. High above them appear to be tendrils hanging from the ceiling. Massive root structures extend from the edges of the ceiling in every direction. The roots have a subtle glow of blueish white light.

“Naruto! Levitate and create a foothold for me again.”

“Huh…”

“Quickly! Get us into the air!”

Naruto flattens one of his truthseeker orbs into a platform for Sasuke. They both levitate to a point that is midway between the floor and ceiling in the cavern.

“Sasuke…what are you thinking?”

“Black Zetsu seems to move easily through natural objects like the ground. That’s why you sensed him all around us. In a way…he was. He could also attack us from all directions in that confined space. But up here…here he will not be able to hide.”

Black Zetsu manifests from the cavern floor and, himself, levitates to in front of Naruto and Sasuke.

“Ah…the Uchiha and their fighting knowledge. Your ancestors would be proud Sasuke. It’s what made you all so valuable to my plans,” says Black Zetsu as he laughs.

Naruto and Sasuke attack without hesitation. Naruto throws a Tailed Beast Ball at Black Zetsu. The explosion tears him apart, but the pieces join together again. Sasuke transports behind Black Zetsu and unleashes a massive lightning bolt. Black Zetsu conducts the lightning away toward Naruto barely missing him. Naruto unleashes a barrage of rasen-shuriken that slice Black Zetsu to pieces but again they rejoin. Sasuke forms the Susano’o and crushes Black Zetsu between its hands only to see the squashed body slither through its grip and reform again.

“Damn it! Nothing’s working!” says Naruto.

Naruto transforms two truthseeker orbs into rods and fires them at Black Zetsu. The rods pass right through Black Zetsu and lodge into the cavern wall.

“Those will not work on me in this form, Naruto. Nothing either of you do can harm me. This form truly is Divine,” says Black Zetsu with a confident and menacing expression.

_She saved me,_ thinks Kakashi. _But why?_

“Kakashi! Are you OK?”

“I’m alright, Sakura…but only because Kaguya intervened.”

“Kakashi…I’m sorry…I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“No Sakura… You were amazing! That power…”

“I think it was the Visual Prowess Hamura gave me. He said if I trusted my feelings that the eye would not fail me. When it seemed like the end all I could think about was…well…uh…that I had to find a way…that I couldn’t give up.”

“It seems that everything Hamura told you is true. Even about her…” says Kakashi as he motions to Kaguya. “Why else would she save me?”

Sakura helps Kakashi to his feet, and they walk cautiously over to Kaguya.

“Thank you…” says Kakashi.

Kaguya looks at Kakashi for a moment but then focuses on Sakura.

“You are different. I sense him in you clearly now. It’s Hamura.”

“He came to me…before. Everything he told me has happened. So far that is…”

“Your appearance has changed,” says Kakashi. “Do you know what happened?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen myself…since I’ve been myself.”

Kaguya touches the top of her head and feels for horns that are no longer there.

“You did this to me! You…with your fighting…and your betrayal…your…love.”

Kakashi and Sakura are initially apprehensive, but then, as Kaguya appears saddened, Sakura steps toward her.

“Careful…Sakura.”

“It’s okay Kakashi. Maybe it’s because of Hamura, but I feel…close to her. She’s not going to hurt me.”

“We should help Naruto and Sasuke. But it may be unwise to leave her alone?”

“I’ll stay here. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s important that I talk to her.”

“Very well. I’ll signal you when I find them.”

Kakashi leaves in search of Naruto and Sasuke.

“You remind me of Aino, my attendant when I first came to this place,” says Kaguya.

“Was she like…you?”

“No, she was a young woman from the village…about your age. She was kind to me without fail. It’s strange. I remember her as if it were only yesterday that she was here…

“Maybe with Black Zetsu no longer a part of you…”

“Black Zetsu…yes…I remember that day clearly too. That was the day Aino died…was killed…trying to protect me.”

“Killed?”

“Yes…by men under orders from Hamura’s father. He sent them to kill me. Why would he do such a thing? I loved him. I had only defended myself,” says Kaguya as a tear rolls slowly down her face.

“I’m sorry.”

“None of this should have ever happened! No Hamura! No Hagoromo! No humans with chakra! All because I was foolish…because I wanted…because I thought I understood what it means…to love.”

Kaguya’s face trembles with emotion. Sakura leans in closer to her feeling the urge to provide comfort.

“Love can be…confusing. I know…”

“You…are in love?”

Sakura is caught off guard and a little flustered by Kaguya asking such a direct question.

“Uh…I think…but he tried to kill me too, and now I...”

“Is that what it means to love? Is that how it ends? You destroy…what you love?”

“No…no! That’s now how it should be. Not if they love…you...”

Sakura is surprised by the simple truth of her own words…and the realization of the blindness in her own feelings. She collects herself and recalls Hamura’s words.

“Hamura said love is watching over another…putting that person’s welfare above your own…even sacrificing your life for theirs. Hamura loves you. It’s why he went to the moon…why he stayed there.”

“I could sense him with me. Through the many years…sealed away…he never wavered. He was always there…watching over me.”

“There is a person that is always there for me too…even when I don’t want him to be sometimes. He probably knows me better than anyone. I know I can count him to always watch over me…always protect me.”

“I witnessed your power earlier. You do not seem to need protection.”

“I only recently acquired that power…and it is only temporary. It was a gift from Hamura so that we could help you.”

“Help me?”

“Hamura believes that you are a good person…that Black Zetsu was the evil behind your actions.”

“That’s not true. Black Zetsu is of me…at least partly. When the men came after us that day, I was afraid so I ran toward the Divine Tree. Aino went with me…

Kaguya pauses for a moment and then continues.

“The tree coalesces natural energy into a form…the fruit…that my people are able to absorb and harness as chakra. But it was too soon…the power was unstable. And me being with child…two half human children…changed things. While my children were given the ability to manipulate chakra, my fear and anger combined with the essence of the tree to create Black Zetsu. Hamura is right. Black Zetsu is evil…but he could only come from what was already inside of me.”

“Then maybe you are not so different from us. Everyone has darkness inside of them. The dark does not go away because we pretend it does not exist. It goes away because of the light we shine upon it. It’s our choices and actions that define whether we are light or dark.” Sakura pauses as she thinks, _there is no better proof of this than the paths taken by Naruto and Sasuke._

“You are wise for your years.”

“Ha! I’m not sure my friends would agree with you. I feel like this is coming from Hamura. It’s like I have a connection to him. I think there is more to the power of this eye than he told me!”

_Our attacks are useless,_ thinks Sasuke. “Naruto, the seal. We’ll capture him with the seal.”

“But the Sage of Six Paths didn’t say anything about sealing Black Zetsu…”

“He didn’t say anything about Black Zetsu at all, but that is our opponent. He is the one in control now.”

Naruto nods his head in agreement.

“Your scheming is pointless,” says Black Zetsu. “I will not be defeated.”

“You seem very sure of yourself,” says Sasuke.

“Yeah…those are strong words for a person that spent their entire life hiding in the shadows,” says Naruto. “You’re nothing more than slime that has stolen power from those with real strength.”

“How dare you disrespect me! Do you even know where you are? You are the ones who have stolen power…all of you.”

Black Zetsu raises his arms and looks upward at the subtle glow of the roots.

“These are the roots of the Divine Tree. They glow with the chakra, stolen by you humans, as it is returned to its rightful place…to me! Everyone under the Infinite Tsukuyomi is being sucked dry. This world is mine now…my domain…and you are just my play things. You, too, will succumb, and I will feast upon you until there is nothing left.”

“Once I create the distraction, you’ll have to guide me with your sensory skills,” says Sasuke.

“Got it,” says Naruto.

Sasuke uses new jutsu with the abilities of his Rinnegan to fill the cavern with smoke. Naruto relays Black Zetsu’s position and they transport to him. Sasuke and Naruto each extend their dominant hand to touch Black Zetsu, but they cannot reach him. His body contorts away deforming and shaping itself such that they cannot touch him. In a counter, Black Zetsu extends appendages in various directions until he is able to grab hold of both Naruto and Sasuke.

 _“_ So foolish!” says Black Zetsu.

Naruto and Sasuke continue to struggle and manage to break Black Zetsu’s grasp only to have another part of their body ensnared. Black Zetsu begins draining their chakra.

“Sasuke…this is not good!”

“Grab my hand! I’ll transport us away!”

The color begins to fade from their bodies until, finally, both of them vanish and fade into the surrounding smoke.

“What?!” says Black Zetsu. “Clones? Again? That’s not possible! Where are they?!”

Naruto and Sasuke are nearing the surface having climbed through one of the smaller tunnels that appeared less dark than the others. They have both reduced their power levels to slip away undetected.

“He’s discovered the clones,” says Naruto.

“We’re near the surface,” says Sasuke. “I can see more light. Keep climbing!”

“You were right. The clones could not physically touch him.”

“We’ll have to find a way to restrain him first.”

They can see the outside through a small opening where the withered root that formed the tunnel had once broken through the surface of the ground.

“There!” says Sasuke.

“I’ve got it!”

Naruto powers up and blasts the opening. Sasuke transports the two of them free of the tunnel.

“This way…” says Naruto. “He’s waiting for us.”

“What? Who’s found us?”

“The Infinite Tsukuyomi did not affect animals,” says Kakashi. “I still have my trackers…Sasuke.”

“Kakashi!” yells Naruto.

“Is Black Zetsu defeated?”

“No,” says Sasuke, “and he’s discovered our deception. We need to go quickly.”

“Follow me...” says Kakashi as he leaps forward. “We’ll meet up with Sakura and Kaguya.”

“You left Sakura alone with Kaguya?” says Naruto.

“There have been developments. But first, what is the status of Black Zetsu?”

“He’s changed,” says Sasuke. “His offensive attacks can be dealt with, but in his current form now…he’s seems indestructible.”

“None of our attacks caused any lasting damage,” says Naruto. “Tearing his body apart did not destroy him. The pieces just came back together again. Even trying to seal him did not work. What about you? How did you defeat the others? What are these developments you mentioned?”

“I did not defeat them. Sakura and Kaguya did. Those are the developments.”

**Chapter 7 – The Ending for a Beginning**

Kaguya looks off in the distance.

“I can sense them. They are coming this way.”

“Then they’re alright!” says Sakura. “They defeated Black Zetsu!”

“No. I can sense Black Zetsu as well.”

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke arrive. They stand facing Sakura with Kaguya standing behind her.

“Sakura!” says Naruto. “I’m glad you’re alright!”

“Did you think I wouldn’t be?” asks Sakura.

“Ha…no! I know you’re strong, but now I hear you are even more powerful.”

“I manifested the Visual Prowess to defeat Hinata!”

“Oh…awesome! That was the ability from Hamura?”

“Yes, but…it was much more powerful than before. I…”

“Sakura completely obliterated Hinata,” says Kakashi.

“I thought it was over for me…and I just reacted. This power is beginning to feel more natural now.”

“And you defeated Yamato too?”

“No…it wasn’t me. It was Kaguya… Kaguya destroyed Yamato.”

“So, you’re helping us now…?” asks Naruto as he looks passed Sakura to Kaguya.

“We don’t have time for this!” says Sasuke. “It won’t take long for Black Zetsu to find us.”

“Even with both your powers you were unable to subdue Black Zetsu?” asks Sakura.

“Black Zetsu’s body seems indestructible,” says Sasuke. “We were unable to inflict enough damage to destroy him.”

“We can’t touch him either,” says Naruto. “When my clones tried, his body contorted away and then reformed elsewhere.”

“You attempted to use the seal…” says Kakashi.

“Yes…but Sasuke suspected things may not work out. Using the clones to try, gave us time to escape.”

“We need a different strategy for attack,” says Sasuke.

“Sakura…maybe you can use your new powers to destroy him,” says Naruto.

“Uh…I…”

“Black Zetsu is much more powerful than the beings defeated earlier,” says Kaguya.

“Maybe the two of you together then…” says Naruto.

“No!” yells Sasuke. “How can you be so trusting of her? She could be working with Black Zetsu. I will not risk our fate on her!”

“But she’s different now,” says Sakura. “With Black Zetsu removed…”

“No! We cannot rely on her! You are foolish to think somebody can change so easily!”

“She saved my life when she did not need to do so,” says Kakashi. “It may not be wise to trust her completely, but I, at least, will take that act into consideration. Regardless, it seems that she is right when it comes to Black Zetsu being more powerful than the Yamato and Hinata duplicates. We can’t assume the same attack would work on him…but maybe there is a way. Gather ‘round. I’ve got a plan. This will be our last mission as the former Squad 7! We’re going to save the world!”

Black Zetsu arrives. Levitating, he looks down on Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kaguya.

“The group of unworthy is all here! Mother? Are you really with these humans now…?”

“These people are more my children than you are,” says Kaguya.

“And pathetic they are…just like Hagoromo and Hamura. Still…I don’t know how you defeated your playmates, Kakashi and Sakura…but no matter. I’ll take care of you myself once I put an end to Naruto and Sasuke.”

“It’s you and your evil that will end here Black Zetsu!” says Naruto.

“Naruto…a clever trick with the clones…but you and Sasuke should have realized by now that I cannot be defeated. Perhaps you should have kept running away! Ha…ha…ha!”

“Nobody’s running. This ends now!” says Sasuke.

Sasuke transports himself and Naruto behind Black Zetsu. Sasuke stands on a flattened truthseeker orb while Naruto levitates. Sasuke unleashes fire style ninjutsu while Naruto calls upon Matabi and attacks with a fire Tailed Beast Ball. Black Zetsu’s body steams and deforms as if melting but quickly returns to its original shape.

“Shukaku!” says Naruto. “Be ready!”

Sasuke unleashes a lightning strike at Black Zetsu while Naruto calls upon Shukaku for his earth style. The two natures combine causing a massive explosion that rips Black Zetsu into pieces. The pieces begin to move back together coalescing and reforming Black Zetsu.

“Dammit!” says Naruto. “Even our combinations have no effect!”

“It’s almost time Sakura. He’s focused on them. Prepare yourself,” says Kakashi.

“I won’t let Squad 7 down…”

Sakura takes up a position on the ground just behind and below Black Zetsu. She stretches out her arms in Black Zetsu’s direction, and her left eye begins to turn a bright blue.

_I’m no longer the person who stays back from the battle while they forge ahead,_ thinks Sakura. _They need me now! I can do this! I will do this!_

Black Zetsu is now fully reformed after the explosion.

“Your combination of attacks is still not enough to end me Naruto and Sasuke. This form is truly perfect!”

Black Zetsu pauses as he begins to struggle to move.

_What…? What is this? I can’t move._

_She’s doing it!_ “Way to go Sakura!” yells Naruto.

Sakura’s eye is fully transformed into the Tenseigan now.

_This eye is remarkable. Just like Kakashi suspected, I can balance the attractive and repulsive abilities to immobilize him._ “I have you Black Zetsu! You’re not going anywhere!”

Black Zetsu struggles but manages to turn and look in Sakura’s direction.

_Where did she get this power? This is not possible!_

“Now Naruto!” says Sasuke.

Sasuke and Naruto move toward Black Zetsu.

_Will they actually succeed…_ wonders Kaguya. _They are formidable…working together…combining their strength. Is this what you saw in them so long ago Hagoromo? Is this the true legacy of my chakra?_

Kaguya pauses as a stern expression comes over her face.

_No…they can’t do it!_

Kaguya begins moving toward Black Zetsu. Kakashi, seeing this, moves to confront her.

“What are you doing Kaguya?

“Don’t try to stop me.”

Kaguya uses her Byakugan to knock Kakashi backwards.

_No…it can’t be,_ thinks Sakura. _She wouldn’t._

Sasuke and Naruto are near Black Zetsu ready to perform the seal. They see Kaguya moving toward them.

“Mother…! I knew you would not side with these people!”

“I knew she was not to be trusted,” says Sasuke. Naruto! Quickly! We must perform the seal now!”

Sasuke and Naruto touch Black Zetsu and perform the steps for sealing. Nothing happens.

“It’s not working Sasuke! The seal isn’t forming!”

_What’s going on,_ thinks Sasuke. _Why doesn’t the seal work? Is his form that powerful? No…it can’t be._ “Naruto, this is a trap! We can’t let her near us!”

“No! That’s not it! You have to trust her!” yells Sakura. “Naruto! Naruto! Please…if not her, then trust me…”

“Sasuke…wait…,” says Naruto.

“Are you crazy? We’ll be captured for sure! You’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment.”

“That’s not it. I don’t sense any hatred in her…”

Black Zetsu continues to struggle to break free of Sakura’s grasp. Each movement of his ripples back to Sakura causing her to lurch in order to maintain her balance.

“I can’t hold him much longer!” says Sakura.

Kaguya rises behind Black Zetsu, level with Naruto and Sasuke.

“You will not have much time,” says Kaguya. “Perform the seal quickly.”

Kaguya moves toward Black Zetsu beginning to draw him once again into her body.

“No…” says Black Zetsu. “What are you doing? Stop! I won’t go back!”

Black Zetsu is absorbed fully into Kaguya. Her form changes back to that of the horned princess with the long hair. Sakura falls backwards as her hold on Black Zetsu is abruptly ended. The vial with Obito’s eye slipping out of her equipment bag and rolling across the ground.

_I can’t believe it..._ thinks Kakashi.

Naruto and Sasuke touch Kaguya. ~~~~

_Strange that these children should affect me so. That now I willingly sacrifice myself to protect them. Is this what love really means? Hagoromo…Hamura…only now do I truly understand._

“Six Paths Planetary Devastation!” yell Naruto and Sasuke in unison.

_What…is…this…_ thinks Kaguya as the eye on her forehead closes once again with the sealing.

Naruto and Sasuke remove their hands. The yin and yang symbols disappear from them and return to Hagoromo’s hands. Boulders begin to collect around Kaguya.

“The ground is being pulled up towards her,” says Kakashi.

The Tailed Beasts emerge from Kaguya and land on the ground.

“We finally made it out!” says Son Goku. “Kurama, your Jinchuriki’s pretty good.”

Madara is ejected from Kaguya and lands nearby. ~~~~

“It’s still growing,” says Kakashi. “It’s like a moon.”

“It’s over,” says Sasuke.

“The seal is complete!” says Naruto.

“But she’s gone,” says Sakura. “Hamura wanted our help to save her.”

“She sacrificed herself. She did that willingly…for us,” says Naruto. “The Kaguya I battled earlier would never have done that. Maybe she found her true self again. If she did, then maybe we…no, you…did save her.”

“I hope so, Naruto.”

“Me too…and I know this. At the end all I could sense in her was love, and that has to be a good thing…right?”

“You’re right,” says Sakura.

**Chapter 8 – Memories Then and Now**

_Hmm…_ thinks Hagoromo. _They’ve done it! All that’s left is to bring you all back!_ “Summoning Jutsu!”

With the added power of the 4 Hokages under the Reanimation jutsu ~~,~~ Hagoromo brings Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, the Tailed Beasts, and Madara back to normal Time-Space.

“Welcome home, Naruto.”

“Dad…”

“Naruto, who’s this?” says Sakura. _He kind of looks like Hamura._

“Six Paths Super Gramps! Which means…”

“That’s right, you’re back in your world,” says Hagoromo. “Naruto, Sasuke…and the rest of you… Excellent work saving the world.”

“Six Paths Super Gramps?” says Sakura.

“Are you by any chance the legendary…?” says Kakashi.

“I am Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Also known as the Sage of the Six Paths.”

“So, you are the one, after all. Summoning the Tailed Beasts and us back from the other Time-Space…You’re probably the only person who could perform such godly actions.”

“Are you Kakashi Hatake?”

“Oh…yes.”

“Good job guiding everyone and sealing my mother away. That truly was the work of gods.”

“Oh, no. I hardly played any part at all. It was these three and many comrades. And…a former friend. As for your mother…”

“Hey! Kurama!” yells Naruto. “Were you lonely being separated from me? I missed you!”

“Don’t talk so loud! I wasn’t lonely. You have half of me inside you…remember?”

“Just look at Kurama,” says Hagoromo, “all embarrassed and flustered! But this is exactly what I had once envisioned. That there would one day be a shinobi, who could move even the Tailed Beasts to cooperate.”

“Even Obito was Naruto’s doing…” says Kakashi. “He restored Obito.”

“I see… Then I shall ask Obito to tell me that tale in the afterworld.”

Sakura is looking frantically in her equipment bag.

_Oh no… Where is it?_

“Sakura!” says Kakashi. “What’s wrong?”

“Kakashi… The vial with Obito’s eye…I may have lost it.”

“It’s OK Sakura. That’s an easy exchange for your contribution to the battle with Black Zetsu. I’m sure Obito would agree.”

“Black Zetsu was a part of the battle with my mother…?” says Hagoromo.

“Yes, in the end he was the primary adversary. Sage…your mother…Kaguya…”

“Yes, Kakashi…”

“Kaguya let herself be sealed. She sacrificed herself…to protect all of us.”

“She did what?!”

“It’s true,” says Sakura. “It’s like Hamura said. Once she was free of Black Zetsu…she really was…good.”

“Hamura?”

Hagoromo peers deeply at Sakura.

“I sense him in you. Come closer. Give me your hand.”

Sakura approaches Hagoromo and extends her arm. Hagoromo grasps her hand and appears to have flashbacks of Hamura telling Sakura about their mother, of the battle with Black Zetsu, and finally of Kaguya’s sacrifice.

“I see… It seems after all this time, Mother found what it means to truly love.”

Sakura hears a voice calling her name. The voice seems to be Kaguya’s. She stumbles and nearly collapses.

“Sakura!” says Kakashi as he grabs her before she falls.

“I’m OK Kakashi. That last time I used the Tenseigan must have really taken a lot out of me.”

Sasuke moves toward Madara’s body, but Hagoromo blocks him.

“Madara was a Jinchuriki,” says Hagoromo. “Even if it was temporary…emptied of the Tailed Beast, he won’t last long.”

“It’s his fault for trying to use such things,” says Sasuke.

“Sasuke, Naruto…Behold, the end of your predecessors. You should watch this closely.”

“Is that you, Hashirama?” asks Madara. “I guess neither you, nor I could achieve what we wanted.”

“It’s never that easy! Our job is to do all that we can, while we’re alive. And then, bequeath the rest for future generations to accomplish.”

“So naïve…as usual. You…were always…the optimist. But perhaps…that is the correct path. My dream…was squashed. But your dream…still lives on.”

“We were both too hasty. We didn’t need to fulfill our dreams ourselves. It was more important to cultivate those who would come after us…to whom we could entrust our dreams.”

“Which means I would have failed anyway. Since I always hated someone…standing behind me…”

“When we were kids… You once said we’re shinobi and we don’t know when we’ll die. And that for neither side to die, we’d both have to reveal what’s inside of us and pour each other drinks to toast like brothers. But we’re both about to die. Right now, we can drink together as war buddies.”

“War buddies…huh? Well…I guess…that’s okay…by…”

Madara dies.

“This is the perfect moment,” says Hagoromo. “I will release the jutsu and free those under the Reanimation.”

Naruto goes to see his father for the last time.

“Dad…” says Naruto.

“Oh, that’s right. I’ve been meaning to tell you…Happy Birthday! You’ve become a splendid young man, Naruto.”

“Yeah…Thank you.”

“We’re an existence outside of the rules. We can’t remain in this world forever. It’s time to say good-bye. I promise to tell Kushina everything.”

“Tell her not to worry. I’m eating properly! I’m not picky and eat lots of different stuff! Like tonkotsu ramen, miso ramen, and shoyu ramen…but, not just ramen though! I try to bathe every day! I go to the Leaf Hot Springs once in a while too! Although everyone just says I only take quick dips…What else, what else…I’ve made lots of friends! And they’re all good guys! And…I was really awful at school, but I never got depressed and had more confidence than anyone else! Naturally, I always obeyed Lord Third and Kakashi Sensei. I respect them both! They’re right here, so you can ask them yourself! Oh! And those Three Prohibitions of Shinobi? I learned a lot about that when I was with Pervy Sage! He was hopeless when it came to them though…but he was an awesome Sannin and I respect him the most! I just turned 17 today, so I don’t know much about alcohol or girls…I know Mom said to find someone like her… But…that’s…um… Anyways! Not everything Mom told me about went well, but I’m doing the best I can! I’ve got dreams too! I’m gonna become an even greater Hokage than you, Dad! I swear I will! So, when you see Mom over there, please tell her…that she doesn’t have to worry about me at all! Tell her I’m doin’ my best!”

“Got it… I’ll make sure to tell her everything.”

Minato ascends into the sky and vanishes.

“We’re leaving the rest to you…Kakashi, Sakura…Sasuke and Naruto,” says Hiruzen as he ascends and vanishes.

“Elder Brother,” says Tobirama, “you finally settled things with Madara. As Saru said…let’s leave the rest to the next generation.”

“Naruto Uzumaki…Sasuke Uchiha…,” says Hashirama. “You two will probably find a different conclusion than we did. No…make sure you do.”

“Now, we’re free too!” says Son Goku. “I’m going back to Suirendo!”

“I’m going to seclude myself in a forest,” says Kokuo.

“We can finally go back to our homes,” says Chomei. “It’s like a dream.”

“Eight-Tails, what are you gonna do?” asks Kurama.

“Me? Well…I think I’m gonna go back to Bee. Even his annoying rap has ended up growing on me. So, what about you? What will you do?”

“I’ll…”

“A little piece of each of your chakra…is already within Naruto,” says Hagoromo. “In short, Naruto is like a gathering place for you. If you want to discuss something, you can speak to each other through your chakra inside Naruto. Kurama…I’d like you to stay inside Naruto as the overseer of the gathering place. It’s no longer a hardship for you anymore, is it?”

“Well, if you say so, old man, I guess I have no choice,” says Kurama as the other Tailed-Beasts laugh. “What?! What’s so funny?”

“Still not upfront with your feelings…” says Kokuo. “You haven’t changed at all, Kurama.”

“So, the Great Ninja War is finally over now,” says Sakura.

“Yes,” says Kakashi. “All that’s left is…”

“Naruto and Sasuke…I asked you before,” says Hagoromo. “After battling my mother Kaguya, is there any change to the answers you gave me?”

“My answer’s the same,” says Naruto. “And I’m sorry, Super Gramps…for what happened to your mother.”

“It’s said my mother Kaguya started off as a beloved goddess of the people. I do not know for sure what caused her to transform into a being that came to be called a demon. I suspect something was triggered the moment she devoured the Chakra Fruit. In any case, it seems she may have found her true self again. Now then, all that’s left is…to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi.”

“But how specifically?” says Kurama. “Do you need our powers?”

“No, you’re fine. Naruto has the chakra of every Tailed Beast. And Sasuke possesses the Rinnegan. If they both weave the sign for rat simultaneously, the jutsu will be undone.”

“What? That’s it? It’s so simple.”

“I researched thoroughly how to undo Mother’s Infinite Tsukuyomi. There’s no mistake. Now then, the rest is up to you, Sasuke.”

“Yes…But first, I’m executing the current Five Kage inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi.”

“What did you just say, Sasuke?” says Kakashi. “What about the Five Kage?”

“Oh, and…I’m putting all of you Tailed Beasts under my control…and eventually, I’ll get rid of you as well.”

“What did you say?!” says Kurama.

Sasuke suddenly and deftly uses his Visual Prowess to place all the Tailed Beasts under genjutsu.

“Kurama!” yells Naruto as the Tailed-Beast’s eyes turn trance-like and empty.

“Naruto, it has ended up as I expected,” says Hagoromo. “I have no choice but to leave the rest to you. I cannot stay in this world any longer. I shall soon fade away.”

“Yeah…but we won’t end up like your sons. I’m not Ashura. And Sasuke isn’t Indra.”

“Sasuke! Is this what your current dream is?” asks Kakashi. “Are you saying you’re still seeking vengeance?”

“I admit, at one time, all I wished for was destruction, and vengeance was my goal. But I feel differently now. I want to destroy, and rebuild. A village no longer shrouded in darkness. I’ll reform the shinobi world. What I’m touting is…revolution!”

“Revolution?!” says Kakashi.

“Catastrophic Planetary Devastation!” yells Sasuke.

The ground around the Tailed-Beasts cracks as huge boulders tear away and begin to encase them in moon-like spheres.

“Naruto…It’s on you!” says Kurama.

“I swear I’ll get you all out! Just hang in there a little while longer!”

“Because of this war, I’ve become quite adept at using my Rinnegan’s abilities. And all those who were in my way are gone. Except for you…Naruto.”

“Things just don’t go as planned,” says Hagoromo. “When I bequeathed power to just one side, I ended up with Indra and Ashura. This time, even after entrusting power to both, the result is the same.”

“Nope… All sibling squabbling ends right here! Let the Tailed Beasts go, Sasuke. They’ve finally gained freedom. I’m friends with them, so I know. They won’t cause trouble anymore.”

“Naruto, you don’t seem to get it. You’re now the Jinchuriki of all the Tailed Beasts. Which means I plan to eventually get rid of the Tailed Beast Chakra inside of you too.”

“What?!” says Sakura.

“In other words, you’re going to die, Naruto. Out of necessity. If what the Sage said was true, there’s no need to use the Tailed Beast power inside you to release the Infinite Tsukuyomi. I can take advantage of the Tailed Beasts that I captured. I’ll let them live until then.”

“You know that I won’t let you do that, right?”

“I guess I’ll have to deal with you first, Naruto. Let’s move this elsewhere. You know, don’t you?”

Sakura collapses to her knees. Kakashi grabs her.

“Kakashi… Something’s happening… I can feel… I…”

Sakura becomes unconscious.

“Sakura…!” yells Naruto. “Sasuke, what did you do to her?!”

“I didn’t do anything to her…but this is better. She would’ve chased after us and gotten in the way.”

Sasuke begins to move off.

“Sensei…I made a promise to bring Sasuke back. You know about my Ninja Way, right? I’m gonna go.”

“Yeah…We’re counting on you.”

Naruto leaves to follow Sasuke. It’s not long before they arrive at the Valley of the End.

“This place, huh? I should’ve figured. Doesn’t it bring back memories Sasuke? Long ago, we fought here.”

“And just like before, you’re going to lose.”

“You won’t be hitting me with that same punch as last time! I’m not about to let you get away with whatever you want. I won’t let you become the Hokage, either! You don’t even understand what it means to be Hokage!”

“I told you, that to me, being Hokage means revolution. It’s totally different from what you think.”

“Let me tell you something your big brother said…It’s not the one who becomes Hokage who gets acknowledged by all. But it’s the one acknowledged by all who becomes Hokage.”

“I learned not from Itachi’s words, but from the way he lived his life. You and I came up with different answers. Let me clarify this before we battle…I’ll teach you exactly what being Hokage means to me.”

Shigodo interrupts Akara, “And there is an epic battle between Naruto and Sasuke at the same place where Hashirama and Madara, the previous re-incarnates, once battled as well. Naruto and Sasuke struggle against one another…largely evenly matched. Sasuke unable to kill Naruto…Naruto unwilling to kill Sasuke. With both close to death in the end, Naruto’s unwavering feelings for Sasuke as if he were his own brother lead Sasuke to ultimately concede to Naruto’s way.”

Shigodo lashes out…blades of chakra emanating from every finger on both hands. The blades claw at the surrounding walls carving deep cracks into them.

“This is useless! Nothing you’ve said contradicts anything I don’t already know.”

_He’s losing it! I have to buy more time, but there’s not much story left. Dad…Mom…please hurry!_ “The story isn’t over,” says Akara. “There’s more. Maybe what you are looking for is still to come.”

“You better hope it is. Because if you cannot tell me anything that I don’t already know…then we’re done here.”

A frightened look comes over Akara’s face.

“It’s as you said. Sasuke and Naruto were near death…”

Sakura regains consciousness.

“You’re finally awake,” says Kakashi.

“It’s dusk already. Where are Sasuke and Naruto?”

“They’re currently fighting their final battle…in order to settle things for good.”

“We have to go to them!”

“Sakura, there is nothing we can do. They’re powers are…”

“They are not the only ones with new powers! Maybe I can stop them, and if not, then maybe I can at least heal…one of them.”

Sakura and Kakashi rush toward Naruto and Sasuke.

“There they are!” says Sakura.

“It figures they’d be here,” says Kakashi.

Sakura and Kakashi jump down to where Naruto and Sasuke are laying on the ground, unconscious. Part of their dominant arms are both missing, destroyed in the battle. She touches what remains of their arms and begins to heal them. The Tenseigan unexpectedly appears in her eye. She begins seeing memories of Naruto and Sasuke. The memories stream quickly but a few come into focus. She sees visions of Naruto and Sasuke’s recent battle. She sees their immense power, their struggle to the end when both could barely stand but yet neither would yield. She sees the death and destruction in Sasuke’s life, the pain during his time with Orochimaru to achieve power at all cost. She sees Naruto’s encounter with Lady Shizuka where he describes when he fell in love with Sakura. She sees that is was Naruto who saved her from drowning during Idate’s race, and when he protected her from Gaara and the One-Tail when the Leaf Village was attacked during the chunin exams. She even sees that it was Naruto impersonating Sasuke when he said he wanted to kiss her forehead that day on the park bench after they had just been selected to form Squad 7.

_It was you…Naruto…it was always you,_ thinks Sakura.

As the memories fade to a blur, Sakura hears a familiar voice calling her.

“Sakura! Can you hear me?”

“Hamura! Is that you? I was trying to heal Naruto and Sasuke, but…the Tenseigan…it manifested suddenly…and now I see their memories.”

“Do not worry. Your healing efforts are unaffected. They will both survive. I want to thank you, Sakura.”

“Thank me…? But I was not able to save your mother. Black Zetsu…she was free of him, but he was so powerful. The only way to stop him was to seal him. She sacrificed herself...”

“I know Sakura… She may be sealed, but Black Zetsu no longer controls her. You freed her from her fear and sadness…and helped her to understand what it means to truly love.”

“What it means to love… It’s funny you should say that…because I think the two of you have taught me what love should be.”

“So, then you have obtained clarity in your feelings.”

“I think I understand the feelings of others better…and am less afraid to trust my own.”

Kakashi sees that Sakura appears to be staring off into space and reaches out to grab her arm.

“Sakura… Are you alright?” says Kakashi.

Kakashi’s memories begin pouring through Sakura.

“It’s Kakashi… I see his memories now.”

“Sakura, as you suspected, I have a connection to you and so does Kaguya now. It’s the reason for the memories you are seeing. It will be over soon. But when it is, you will no longer have the ability of the Tenseigan, nor will this you remember any of the memories.”

“But why? What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry Sakura. I cannot tell you more. I must ask you to trust me…yet again.”

“And I was just starting to get used to my new visual powers…”

“You wielded the power of the Tenseigan quite effectively Sakura. Even though its specific abilities will not remain there is the possibility others may develop.”

“What do you mean?”

“I transported my abilities into you. It’s different than if I had just given you my eye. In order for the Tenseigan to manifest in you, your body itself had to subtly transform. That transformation will remain. It is a part of you now and may lead to you developing your own Visual Prowess.”

“My own Visual Prowess… Is that really possible?”

“I owe the development of my powers to the love I have for Mother. I suspect any Visual Prowess you may develop to occur in a similar fashion. Be true to your feelings, and you may once again wield the power of this eye.”

Hamura looks away as if someone were calling him.

“It’s time Sakura. I must go.”

“Wait…” interrupts Shigodo. “Kaguya is sealed at this point… How is she connected to Sakura? Could it be simply because of Hamura…and what is with the memories? I suspected she was the key…and Hamura’s words confirm it. But what…what did she do? This doesn’t make sense!”

“So, this is something you didn’t know already?” asks Akara.

“No. This is new…”

Akara breathes a sigh of relief.

“But I need to know more. Tell me more!”

Shigodo’s voice grows louder and more impatient.

“There isn’t much more…at least not with the battle.”

“Tell me the rest… Tell me everything! I want to hear it… Now!”

“OK! OK!”

Akara continues with the story.

Kakashi is looking at Sakura and sees the Tenseigan fade from her eye.

“Are you OK Sakura?”

“It’s gone Kakashi. I no longer have the power of the Tenseigan.”

“It seems we will both have to make do with our normal eyes then...”

“Not you Kakashi.”

“Huh?”

“You have Obito’s eye.”

“What do you mean? I thought it was lost?”

“No. I have it. It’s in my equipment bag. I know it is.”

Sakura looks down at Naruto and Sasuke.

“They’re going to be OK.”

Naruto and Sasuke regain consciousness.

“Thanks, Sakura,” says Naruto weakly.

“Sakura…Never mind me…” says Sasuke.

“Stay quiet now. I need to concentrate.”

**Chapter 9 – Akara’s Revelation**

It’s later now. Naruto and Sasuke have recovered enough to return to the site of the Divine Tree.

_Naruto…I’ve been thinking about what you once said to me,_ thinks Sasuke. _When we were together, you wondered if it was how having a brother would feel…_

Naruto and Sasuke release the Infinite Tsukuyomi. They each use their remaining hand to sign the release.

_Now, finally…I think I know what you meant._

People unwrap from their cocoons that attached them to the Divine Tree.

_I felt how my mother, father, and brother Itachi suffered._

The Tailed Beasts are released from their sealing.

_In that same way…Naruto…I’m sure I will start to feel your pain and your emotions… You never cut me off. You always kept me in your thoughts._ _You’d have been justified if you’d come at me with hatred… Instead, you always called me your friend._

Several days have passed. Many people have traveled to see Naruto in the Leaf Village. Naruto visits with Killer Bee and Gaara. They discuss how doctors are going to fuse Hashirama’s cells with his own to form another arm. Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke are at the gate to the village. ~~~~

“I’ll be blunt,” says Kakashi. “By rights, you should be in prison right now. But we have heard your plea and all your actions up to now have been pardoned.”

“Understood,” says Sasuke. “Thank you.”

“Must you go?” asks Sakura. “The artificial arm that Lady Tsunade is creating from Lord Hashirama’s cells will soon…”

“I need time to understand my feelings. How I should view the shinobi world, this world. Perhaps I’ll be able to see things I couldn’t see before. Things that can’t be seen unless I do this.”

“I understand…I understand more than I ever have. Goodbye…Sasuke…”

Sasuke pauses for a moment as Sakura has omitted her normal use of ‘kun’ when saying his name. He turns and begins to walk down the path out of the Leaf Village.

“You…”

“I’m OK Kakashi,” says Sakura with a sad but sure smile. “Neither of us are children anymore. He’s changed…and so have I.”

“I didn’t think you’d come to see me off,” says Sasuke.

“Here,” says Naruto as he tosses Sasuke the Leaf Village headband that he wore when they were in Squad 7.

“You kept that thing?” _You sacrificed your arm to stop me. Thanks to you, I found salvation.Once, all we did was clash with each other. But now, we share each other’s pain. After all my travels through the world, I came to the conclusion that this sharing of pain can perhaps be applied to something much bigger than just us. But I can’t do things like you. Things don’t go that smoothly, as you and I know more than anyone…The bigger something is, the harder._ ~~~~

“I’m returning this,” says Naruto.

“I’ll hang on to it…until our re-match.” _This idea is almost a prayer. To keep enduring, no matter what, until things come to pass. And for we who must endure, perhaps that’s what it means…to be a ninja._

“Why did you stop?” asks Shigodo.

“That’s all there is. That’s the entire story.”

“Is there nothing more about Kaguya? She is the key. I know it!”

Shigodo paces furiously. He clasps his hands to his head and begins talking to himself under his breath.

_This is bad,_ thinks Akara. _There’s nothing left. I’ve told him everything. Well…almost everything…but I can’t tell him that. I’m not even sure that’s real. It’s not a memory, it’s just her whispering to me… I have this feeling it’s connected somehow though._

The moon has formed around Kaguya in the Root-Time Space. Kaguya herself, in her original form, appears to be in a dream space. The space is empty except for the vial with Obito’s eye which seems to float toward Kaguya. She grabs it.

_What is this connection I feel? It’s Sakura._

Kaguya looks closely at the vial.

_Obito’s eye… Meant for Kakashi…_

Hamura appears in the dream space.

“Hamura?”

“Mother! Is that you? You look different?

“It’s me, Hamura…the real me.”

“How can this be? I have a connection to Sakura because of giving her my Visual Prowess, but this should not be possible. Mother…you…I’m sorry. It appears as if fate cannot be changed. I intervened…changed history using Obito’s Izanagi…but still the currents and eddies of reality led back to this conclusion.”

“I want to thank you, Hamura.”

“Thank me…?”

“Yes. Not all is as it was before.”

“Huh…”

“I could sense you were always there…for a thousand years…watching over me. I did not understand why, but now I see that you did so out of love for me. It became clear when Black Zetsu left me, and I was myself again.”

“But he’s a part of you…now…and yet you seem to not be under his influence.”

“He is still here. I can feel the hatred in him. But it seems I have a level of control…to contain his darkness within me and not completely lose myself.”

Hamura looks more closely at Kaguya’s eyes.

“Your eyes… You have the mark of the Tenseigan…you must have its power!”

“Tenseigan?”

“It is not surprising that you do not know of it since love is foreign to your people. The Tenseigan is an evolution of the Byakugan. Unlike the Sharingan and Rinnegan which manifest through pain and loss, the Tenseigan develops through acts of love and sacrifice. You sacrificed yourself to protect Sakura and the others. That sacrifice must have led to your new powers. It is likely you are the only true Otsutsuki to have ever manifested such power.”

“I can feel its ability. It’s similar to the power I use to create a new Time-Space.”

“It is likely that ability is now greatly enhanced with the power of the Tenseigan.”

“It is more than that. I can feel them. I can feel all them…all the people in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. I could always draw their chakra when connected to the Divine Tree, but now…now I see everything about them…their abilities…their memories…their dreams.”

“The sheer magnitude of such a feat. That’s incredible!”

“But I also see their fear…their sadness. The seemingly endless cycle between one and the other. The constant struggle.”

“Hagoromo has tried to provide structure and guidance in his teachings, and I have watched them for a millennium. Progress is slow towards a solution. In many ways they are still like children.”

“They are like my children… The chakra I gave to you and Hagoromo has spread through this world. This is never what I wanted. The use of chakra has led to higher forms of conflict…of death and destruction. When I first came to this world, I only wanted peace and no more fighting.”

“There was conflict before you introduced this world to chakra, Mother. The struggle between good and evil...right and wrong…is not one of chakra. It is a struggle in the heart and mind of every person…passed from parent to child since the beginning of time. What you gave this world with chakra is the ability to defend itself against powers in this universe that would seek to enslave or destroy it.”

“And how will this world defend itself when those powers arrive? How will they protect themselves when they are divided and fight amongst themselves?”

“There are those among them that will rise to lead the rest. The four that battled you and Black Zetsu…Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke…are proof that when working together the people of this world can be a powerful force.”

“Naruto and Sasuke… Together they do possess the ability and strength of will to lead this world…but I could sense the divide between them. Even now a battle between them looms.”

“We must wait to see if they can find a different solution than their predecessors.”

“No. There is another way. I can hide and protect all of them.”

“Mother…what are you thinking of doing?”

“With the power of this Tenseigan I will collect them all…everything about them…and make them again…in my true sanctuary. One that I will guide. Give me your memories Hamura. None before will know of this. For them, all will be as it has always been.”

The dormant Expansive Kekkei Moura Truthseeker Orb that Kaguya created during her battle with Naruto and Sasuke begins to increase in size again.

“I’m still missing something…” says Shigodo. “What is it? What is it?!”

Shigodo suddenly stops. The expression on his face goes to one of deep thought as if trying to fan an ember of understanding.

“What was it that you said when Hamura was talking to Sakura at the end of Sasuke and Naruto’s battle? You said…‘this’…”

“Huh…?”

“Tell me Akara. Tell me again what Hamura told Sakura when he was talking about the memories she was seeing.”

“What…? When…?”

“Right after she starts seeing Kakashi’s memories… Tell me…tell me exactly…every word!”

“OK…uh…Hamura said…”

[Flashback]

“Sakura, just as I have a connection to you because of the Tenseigan so does Kaguya now. It’s the reason for the memories you are seeing. It will be over soon. But when it is, you will no longer have the ability of the Tenseigan, nor will this you remember any of the memories.”

[End of Flashback] 

“That’s it! ‘This you’… Of course! How could I have missed that?!”

_What’s he talking about? I never thought anything of Hamura saying ‘this’. I thought it was just his old use of language…but he definitely said ‘this you’._

“If there was ‘this you’…then perhaps there is another…you. But how…even Kaguya with her vast powers could not do such a thing. Time-Space yes…but people…?

_Duplicates… That’s what Kaguya was doing… That’s what she meant by collecting them… She took their memories...and created another Time-Space. There are others out there! Or are we…the others…?_

“But Black Zetsu was able to create duplicates of the originals… Maybe it’s possible. Maybe…”

Shigodo glances toward Akara. He recognizes the look on her face…as if she has had a realization of her own.

“There’s more… Isn’t there? There’s something you’re not telling me. What is it? Tell me!”

Akara’s mind is racing. _I can’t tell him. If there are two realities… What does it mean…and why did she tell me? He knows a lot already. He’s obviously willing to go to extremes… What’s he planning? What are his true powers? No…I can’t tell him. I have to protect them…us. I can’t!_

Shigodo draws chakra blades from his fingertips once again.

“Tell me Akara!”

“No…”

“What?! Tell me what you know!”

“I don’t know anything more…”

“You do know more! Tell me…You’re alone here, Akara. There is no one to help you. I’ll force it out of you!”

“I won’t tell you any more!”

“Why…you!”

Shigodo lashes out with the chakra blades on his fingertips bursting into lightning in all directions.

“By the time where done, you will know pain the likes of which you have never experienced before…and you…will…tell me!”

Akara is calm, “I won’t tell you anything. Even if it means my life…”

The expression on Shigodo’s face is frozen for a moment and then fades to one of understanding. He recognizes the resolute determination in Akara. It’s a determination that he, himself, shares. A determination that has driven him to this point.

“I believe you...Akara. But if you won’t tell me, then you won’t tell anyone!”

The chakra lightning at Shigodo’s fingertips coalesces into a single ominous sword. He rears back to strike Akara down. Akara closes her eyes and lowers her head, steadfast in the sacrifice she must make.

_Goodbye Dad… Goodbye Mom. I’ll miss you… I’ll miss you too…brother. I hope you all understand. I had to do this. I had to protect everyone._

Akara feels a sharp pain as the sword slices into her shoulder, but then she hears the voice again. Her voice…the one that has been there since she was little…the voice that has been both a comfort and a curse.

“You are needed in this world child,” says Kaguya. “Open your eyes.”

Still looking down, Akara opens her eyes. Her legs are free of the cell floor. She’s been moved back…out of the reach of Shigodo’s sword.

“What? How did you…?” says Shigodo.

Akara can feel the change in her eyes. It’s a power she’s not felt before.

“You’re wrong…” says Akara.

“Huh? Wrong about what?”

“I’m not alone… I’ve never been alone!”

Akara looks up. Her eyes have the beginning of the shape of a flower…an iris.

“Those eyes…?!”

“You won’t hurt me… You won’t hurt anyone!”

In a blast of power Shigodo is thrown back out of the hideout. The cell bars and walls are destroyed. Akara is free.

Naruto and Sakura are moving slowly above the countryside looking for Akara.

“Are you certain it was this direction that you sensed Akara earlier?” asks Sakura.

“I’m positive,” says Naruto. “I sensed her clearly…but only for a moment and then she was gone again.”

They stop suddenly at the sound of the blast in the distance.

“It’s her… I can sense her again. This way!”

Akara walks slowly forward out of the darkness and debris. The bar separating her hands, broken…the chains around her wrists, trailing behind her. She stumbles.

“Akara!” yells Sakura as she catches the girl. “I’ve got you… I’ve got you.”

“Are you alright Akara?” says Naruto.

Akara looks up at the blurry, but familiar faces in front of her.

“Mom…Dad…there’s something I need to tell you.”


End file.
